Understanding hard skills and soft skills..!!

In the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills possessed by a candidate.

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The first step in developing good soft skills is to unlearn the negative traits developed and re-learn.

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One of the fashionable terms floating around these days is “soft skills.” But what exactly are these soft skills? If we have a term ‘soft skill', does that mean there are also skills which are hard?

‘Skill' as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is “The ability to do something well.” And management gurus relate soft skills to emotional quotient and define soft skills as “a cluster of personality traits.”

During the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and later growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills (Intelligence Quotient) possessed by a person.

“These included knowledge in a particular field, experience in working on a set of machines, ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical use, logical and analytical reasoning, etc. Most of these skills are generally imparted as a part of the academic curriculum at school and college and therefore an academically successful student was expected to succeed in life and career too.

However, over a period of time, the dynamically changing society, technology and economy have brought about a phenomenal shift in the skills required for a person to succeed in career and life.

“This sea change was precipitated by many developments which inter alia include the macro-economic shift from secondary sector to tertiary sector, the enhanced complexities in work places like the increased emphasis on team work, greater participation of women and the concomitant gender sensitivity and also superior benchmarks of quality and pace,” says Mohammed Abdullah, director of Conduira, a training and placement institution.

Recent studies clearly point out the fact that irrespective of the industry, job type or rank, there are a few traits that high performing individuals possess.

“Typically, soft skills can be defined as the skill that enables an individual to engage and interact effectively with others, obtain acceptance, build consensus and provide assistance, leadership and direction,” says P.V. Rama Sasank of Conduira.

The hard skills are usually easy to observe, quantify and measure and thus easy to train and acquire.

However, soft skills — being more behavioural in nature — are a result of various influences and interactions one has had in his or her life since childhood. These influences have long term implications — both positive and negative.

Hence, most of the individuals, by the time they reach an age of employability, already possess a few soft skills — positive as well as negative — and therefore soft skill training includes a lot of unlearning and re-learning issues.

“Many students confuse the concept of soft skills with English communication skills. This is not really true. Communication skills are very much a part of the soft skills, but only a ‘part'.

Soft skills go much further enabling the individual to discharge his or her responsibilities in the most effective and efficient way possible both at work and at home,”.

What are the soft skills that organisations look for in a candidate who is just entering the workforce? “Primarily the companies look for the ability to learn. In addition, companies today are surmounting geographical barriers and as a result, teams often comprise employees from different cultural and geographical backgrounds.

Being able to appreciate these diverse views and assimilate them is a challenge and recent graduates are expected to adapt to these changes as soon as possible. Further, in a multi-cultural team, an ability to communicate becomes extremely important and fluency in business language English is a must-have requirement rather than just a good-to-have skill. Business meetings over telephone are norm of the day and e-mail has become the standard business communication. Therefore a student is expected to have good written communication skills too — non-ambiguity, conciseness and crispness being the desired parameters.

The biggest challenge, a student faces when he is on board, is the ability to work in a team. “And last but not the least, companies often place good faith in their employees and often give them sizeable responsibilities very early in their career. It is not surprising to find a 25-year-old leading a 30-member team and being responsible for revenues up to Rs. 500 crore. In such a scenario, ethics and integrity become supremely important,”.

The first step in developing good soft skills is to unlearn the negative traits developed and re-learn. Unless they have seen success in applying a new skill or method, they are not convinced that a change is required.

What's the name of your gift ????????

September 5 is Teachers' Day. A look at how some teachers touch the hearts of their students. Just a bit of kindness, a dash of wisdom and a sprinkling of love.

Sakshi raced up the stairs her schoolbag dangling from her shoulder. She guessed it right. Her friends were chatting in the corridor. While nudging her way past the other children so she could spend a few minutes with her friends before her teacher arrived, she collided with someone she thought she should not have. Her class teacher looked bemused. Sakshi blinked innocently. Her snack bag with water bottle almost fell when her teacher asked, “Can I keep it for you?”

Abdul thinks the world of his teacher who doesn't speak English very well. Her voice is not sweet for she has to be really loud in class so that even the sleepiest child is attentive. She is well mannered and gentle but does not accept excuses. Children flock round her table and ask how her Sunday was. They also know that if they hadn't done their homework, they will be made to miss activity period. Abdul, however, has only one thing to say. For all the years he will have to spend in school, he wishes his teacher would be promoted along with him, from one class to the other.

They care

Netra and Surya cannot stop talking about their teacher. “Oh she is so good,” they say. “Good?” I ask. “How do you know she is good?” Summer holidays were longer than usual but when school reopened textbooks weren't ready. Only one book was available and that was with the teacher. But when lessons were taught, the entire class would follow word by word as the teacher read aloud from the book. How? The teacher would, every single day, write down the page to be taught on the blackboard, till textbooks were given to the children ten days later. “Our teacher wanted us to know what she was reading. She made sure we didn't take our eyes off the board. We love her for writing out pages for us,” they say.

Do children really care if their teacher taught them well or not? Of course they do. Every student has an ability to evaluate the teacher. They can quickly identify the teacher who knows the job from the one who doesn't. In fact, behaviour patterns of the students largely depend on the kind of teacher they have.

Ved keeps asking his teacher why she wears more than one ring on her finger. If wedding ring was one, what was the other for? Dayanita likes it when her teacher pleats her saree and pins it to her blouse. She says it makes her look “neat”. Even mannerisms are made much of. The teacher who nods her head with a smile is remembered and spoken fondly of.

It is hard to believe but true. Children seem to appreciate the teacher who bothers to ask why they missed school when they get back after a day's leave. And when the teacher is away for a day, she is enquired of her absence too, the very next day!

Who's a “good teacher”? Taking notes from what children look for in a teacher, it is fair to call a good teacher a gift. The child who gets to learn from such a teacher is gifted. Creative wisdom, beauty of character, a kind heart and knowledge that endures are wished for every teacher today.

Deepti's views sum up the need every child feels for in a teacher. “I am fine in school. My teacher is like a mother. Just one more exam to go and I can do what I want. My teacher said so.” I turn to the teacher. Deepti had been asking her teacher if she could wear nail polish to school. The teacher had said yes, a white polish, after the exams!

A celebration

September 5 is the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. He was a diplomat, scholar, philosopher and the President of India. It is in his memory that this day is celebrated as Teachers' Day.

In 1962, when he was the President some of his students wanted to celebrate his birthday. But Dr. Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' day”. From then on, the day has been observed as Teachers' Day in India.

The soldier needs the nation's attention..!!!

India today exists in a seriously embattled security environment, more than ever in the last 63 years, with external military threats and the difficult situation in Kashmir, besides the Naxalite movement having acquired dangerously devious contours. Our armed forces have determinedly and innovatively strategised to meet the expanded threats.

Our armed forces have won wars and tackled insurgency and terrorism with effective leadership and sacrifices. The accounts of their bravery and valour are well known. Their morale is high and the men and soldiers are highly motivated to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and integrity.

Though the Army has not fought a full-blown war in the last three decades, it is bogged down in fighting domestic insurgencies, guarding the restive borders, responding to requests for quelling civil riots, tackling insurgency, and terrorism, and rescue operations during natural calamities. These have a put a tremendous stress and strain on the soldiers.

Surprisingly, there has been a sharp rise in suicides in the Army in the past five years. The trend in the third largest and one of the best disciplined armies in the world is a cause for grave concern. Over 100 soldiers have taken their lives in last three years under extreme pressure, mainly poor service conditions leading to frustration or rebellion.

Discipline is also becoming a casualty. The armed forces have held a staggering 6,000 courts martial since 2000. The latest statistics show that the Army alone court-martialled 1,215 soldiers in 2000; 1,034 in 2001; 1,031 in 2002; 945 in 2003; and 872 in 2004. In just the last two years, over 20 rape and 10 murder charges have been levelled against soldiers.

And it is not only the “lower ranks” that have been afflicted. It is true even of officers. Last year, around 30 officers were convicted in court martial proceedings. But, unlike other agencies, the armed forces deal “swiftly and effectively'' with “aberrations and delinquents.”

Of late, even a Lieutenant-General and two other general officers have been in trouble for alleged involvement in West Bengal's Sukna land scam. A retired General has also been court-martialled in a scam over provision of unhygienic food to the troops in Siachen.

What the services need is high quality leadership which can motivate the rank and file in times of challenges. One reason for poor leadership is that the military is the last priority for bright young men due to various factors.

The soldiers' pay and allowances are less than that of a skilled labour in industry. The defence forces are the lowest paid service and in a state of neglect. Our soldiers retire at the age of 34 in the prime of their youth when they face loads of responsibilities. The officers retire at an average age of 52 when they have another 15 productive years.

Then there is no coordination between the Ministries of Home and Defence; otherwise, all the officers could have served up to 60 years through lateral entry. Fourth, the downtrend in the warrant of precedence has brought down the image of the defence services.

Finally, deterioration and corruption in all walks of life — our politicians, educationists, media barons, bureaucrats and even judges are not immune to the ills of filthy lucre and moral turpitude. The armed forces too are no exception.

Pray, is this woman power at all ????????

BEAUTY PAGEANT:The Miss Universe 2010 contestants in Las Vegas.

I watch Miss Universe every year and every year I try to figure out why anyone would combine swimsuit modelling with world peace. It's like adding apples and oranges.

Quite frankly, this is a competition where size zero – or even smaller (is there something like size minus one?) – models from around the globe compete with one another, by walking the ramp with attitude and wearing everything from gowns to bikinis. They have perfect hair, a perfect pair of legs and yet their ultimate goal is to spread peace and save the world from global warming!

They say these women represent girl power. Exactly what power are we talking about? Is it that women are nothing but pretty faces who fight the wrongs in the world (for a whole one year as per contract) and yet look gorgeous as ever? Because most women I know don't have that power. Are these women's passions toward world peace actually real? What's the guarantee that they are not in it just for the fame? I back my doubt with the fact that most participants of our national beauty pageant end up in Bollywood as the lead heroine or some item girl or other. Whatever happened to world peace?

I think it's time they stop telling us that these pageants represent the power of women. It has got nothing to do with woman power and has got everything to do with pretty girls who want to make it big in the fashion/film industry. Please, woman power is not so petty..

Hey, it's still a man's world..!!

The prejudice that women face is still present. Only, it has learnt to hide itself better.

It has been said that we now live in an egalitarian society, with little discrimination between the sexes, if any, and freedom for all. This self-congratulatory attitude, however, is a grave impediment to actually achieving such a thing. Only the blissfully ignorant would be unaware of some of the truths that stare us in the face today — it is still a man's world, despite the general feeling that sexism is nearly extinct. It is true that the blatant disregard for women's rights that was prevalent in the times of Kamala Das and Emma Goldman is no longer such a great issue in many parts of the world. On the other hand, this progress has also allowed the emergence of a new, equally frightening kind of bigotry.

The prejudice that women face is still present. Only it has learnt to hide itself better. It has become something that insinuates itself into our subconscious minds, creeping into every hollow of our lives until we are no more conscious of its presence than we are of breathing. And it reveals itself in the most innocuous of ways, like how in a marriage the wife is expected to leave her life behind and move when her husband is offered a better job elsewhere; how women are portrayed in movies as being servile to men, and in how men and women in the workplace are given subtly different treatment. These assumptions of behaviour that we make are dangerous ones. Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is a fascinating look into how a society functions without separate genders.

The “glass ceiling” that is so often talked about in the workplace isn't so much a ceiling as it is a kind of women-specific gravity. Bosses needn't be misogynists, but they can overlook women when it comes to promotions or important assignments. It was easy to give women the right to vote and to education because doing otherwise would involve active oppression. Whereas, trying to overcome the almost instinctive desire of preferring a man to a woman for something when unearned would involve initiative, and overcoming the inertia of bias.

Then there are the bolder, more visible signs that nothing at all has changed. Everyday, there are reports — that read more like horror stories — of women being raped and killed in alleyways, molested by the very people in whom the public is supposed to place its faith, trafficked in inhuman conditions and treated like slaves. The social double-standard is also still firmly in place. In India, any family would prefer a fair-skinned, slim and tall daughter, if they must have one at all. Sons, on the other hand, are welcome in whatever colour, shape or form.

Parents desperate for male children still murder their infant daughters in brutal ways; women on roads and in other public areas are still fair game for people to leer and make passes at, while crowds of passive onlookers look on; wives are still expected to bear the brunt of household chores, duties and taking care of the children even if they have jobs themselves. The disadvantages of being a woman today are not so plain — but like wounds that appear healed when they actually fester underneath — are still present.

People cannot claim to belong to a truly progressive society unless any and all prejudices based on sex and other such ‘differences' are erased. It has taken us several decades to come this far, but it needn't take several more to scrape away the remnants of old habits. Women definitely have more freedom now — socially and economically — than in the past. But that men and women are treated even nearly as equals, is up for solid debate...

Happy Reading..!!

Made in China: The Evolution of Design

What are the design elements and principles that have emerged from over 1,000 years of producing products sought by the world?

China wants to be more than just the “factory of the world”. While China’s economic strength for decades has been built on the might of its manufacturing sector, policy-makers are currently attempting to steer the economic ship away from the production of low-cost goods. Amid this massive paradigm shift, Chinese enterprises across industries have realized the importance of design in bringing their companies, and the economy writ large, up the value chain.

China has a rich tradition of domestic design capability and has exported design concepts to the rest of the world for centuries. Yet, historical and cultural factors disrupted this process and Chinese designers today find themselves playing catch up with their Western counterparts. However, there are encouraging signs that Chinese design may soon change the identity of the “Made in China” brand.

Many Chinese factories for decades operated on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) model, in which they produced goods based on foreign designs. Companies have now recognized that the next frontier for China will be the establishment of strong domestic brands, which will necessitate a shift to an ODM (original design manufacturer) model. It is hardly an easy shift, and many, particularly those in the Chinese garment sector, recognize that their design talent continues to lag that of their foreign competitors.

China’s history as an OEM manufacturer, however, may also give it an edge. Manufacturing of goods destined for export was the first step in a continuing internationalization process for China’s designers. Furthermore, China’s manufacturing sector has made an art of the speedy production of goods tailor-made to client demand. As such, the mainland has an unparalleled ability to quickly implement design.

Yet, the new generation of Chinese designers face significant hurdles. There are over 1 million design students on the mainland, but most of them have little understanding of the market’s demand for their services. Young designers also lack the relationships to secure plum government contracts – a major industry driver in China. As a result, government design contracts go to senior designers. The few Chinese enterprises that recognize the importance of design prefer to hire more experienced foreign designers who will work hand in hand with the client throughout the entire project.

Nonetheless, China is approaching a tipping point in the global design industry. Chinese designers are swiftly boosting their capabilities, while garnering the respect of their international peers. Furthermore, the sheer size of China’s consumer market suggests that future global design will be aimed at satisfying the demands of the Chinese consumer. It is a transition that could mark a new day for Chinese design, and domestic designers would be wise to begin preparing now.

Some suggest that China could take a page out of Japan’s playbook. Japanese designers in the 1980s shifted their focus from the export market and sought to reinterpret traditional colours, shapes and textures into their products. Today, Japanese brands such as Muji have championed a modern and quintessentially Japanese aesthetic that has found a market at home and abroad. Ultimately, China’s designers face the same problems as designers around the world. The goal is not to create “Chinese design” but rather “appropriate design” that meets market needs and can help spur innovation.

Happy Reading..!!

Finding a Growth Strategy in the Post-Crisis World ..!!

Despite some headline grabbing, global merger and acquisition volumes are 38% lower than a year ago.

How are major industries rethinking and redesigning future growth models, at home and abroad?

Key Points
• The world will return to growth but it will be a jobless recovery and the economic recovery will vary across regions and countries.
• Companies must remain flexible and innovative to meet shifting purchasing patterns and more demanding consumer needs.
• Organic growth funded by internal cash flows is preferred to debt driven mergers and acquisitions in the new economic environment.

Synopsis
The extent and quality of the economic recovery is the big debate. The US administration says that the freefall has stopped. The IMF upgraded its prediction of world growth in its most recent estimate. However, others such as the World Bank and some independent economists are more negative on the subject. A recent survey found that most observers think there is a recovery but that it remains fragile. The role of sentiment is critical.

The recovery will likely be lumpy and vary by country and by market. Recovery will rely on increasing demand and increasing GDP. However, it is likely to be a jobless recovery since there is excess capacity in the system.

The shape of the recovery will also vary across regions. Western Europe faces an “L shaped” recovery (a longer recession). The US faces a “U shape” (growth will return but not right away). Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East are all well positioned for a “V shaped” recovery (rapid bounce back).

Business leaders need to understand what the new environment will look like. The economy before the crisis was not “normal” and will not return to that situation. There was an extreme expansion of credit that will not be repeated.

For companies to thrive in the post-crisis era, innovation is the key. Innovation is the essence of value creation, and the ability to reinvent business models. When companies diversify, the businesses should complement each other and allow for innovation. There is also need for new business models. Consumers are challenging the old model. Today’s consumer is setting a new standard, looking for new products and new ways of buying things. This is creating a transformation agenda for businesses in meeting this need.

The appropriate business model depends on the situation. There is no silver bullet. Whether a company should be diversified or focused, there is no “right answer”. It needs to be what fits and works. But it is clear that if a company is not successful in one market it is unlikely that it will be successful in others. And for diversification to work, the company cannot have a “top-down” centralized model – flexibility and some decentralization are needed.

Organic growth is always the strongest way for a company to grow, but acquisitions are the quickest way to get there. However, mergers and acquisitions need to be done right. Two drunk people don’t make a stable person. Some Chinese companies have expanded internationally, but not all stories have a happy ending. They have found that there is just as must potential to destroy value as to create value. Issues such as higher labour costs and major cultural differences in Europe and elsewhere are difficult to overcome. All risks need to be considered, and there has to be an underlying purpose for acquiring a company. It needs to link to the overall strategy and what value it will bring. Size itself is not enough to do this. Following mergers, companies then need to be aggressive about driving integration.

Happy Reading..!!