Tuesday Inspiration

What are you waiting for!!

Common, you don't need that much time, efforts and money to bring that great thought you are harboring in your mind to life. You need to start somewhere and you need to start now! Imagine how the world without these great individuals (Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, Bill Gates Oprah Winfrey, Aliko Dangote, Ray Kroc of MacDonalds and others, who stopped at nothing but persevered enough to live their imaginations and dreams.

The fear of loosing shouldn't deter you from trying, keep in mind that there is no gain without pain. Challenge yourself  to be great and it will amaze you the great impact either small or big you will make in your life, family, friends and the world at large.

Be inspired this morning.

Dress, not so to KILL

There are some days we all go through moments like this, lol

So I woke up early this morning trying to search for a perfect and appropriate outfit to wear to the office this cold weather. None of the outfits that I browsed through in my closet  however seemed perfect for a Tuesday and to capture the mood I was in for this morning. It felt like I didn't even have anything to wear at all.

I ended up wearing anything I could place my hands on without any inspiration to it and now hours later I'm sitting right here in my office looking like an overdressed fellow ready to go on a hiking. I think my outfit is not making me feel pretty today.

I'm I the only one feeling this way today or there are a number of you that encountered this today?

Let us know😀

It's about HAPPINESS - Richard Branson

In a write up which he shared on his profile the founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson gives some insights on how he built his empire. Read below...

John Lennon said: “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” I find this sentiment to be so incredibly powerful and true.

Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.

You might find it odd to learn that some of the toughest times of my life correspond with moments where I have made a lot of money. I will never forget the sorrow I felt when we sold Virgin Records. 

I ran down Ladbroke Grove in London with tears streaming down my face. We had to sell – just as we’d signed Janet Jackson and the Rolling Stones – so that we could keep Virgin Atlantic afloat. In that moment, despite having a cheque for a billion dollars in my pocket, I felt like very sad.

When you build something from scratch and have a wonderful time learning, growing and laughing with the people that have helped you turn that business into something extraordinary, no amount of money can make you feel happy about selling. However, this money can be used to fund exciting new projects, and grow your brand further – something I wrote about in the aftermath of Virgin America’s deal with Alaska Airlines.

It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be. I’ve never gone into business to make money. Every Virgin product and service has been made into a reality to make a positive difference in people’s lives. And by focusing on the happiness of our customers, we have been able to build a successful group of companies. The simple fact is, if you do good and have fun, the money will come.

Likewise, I’ve never felt successful because of my encounters with famous faces and names. While I’m incredibly grateful that I get to meet fascinating people and change makers, there’s nowhere that I feel more content or special then when I’m with my family. My family are my greatest achievement. When they are happy, I am happy, and that make me feel so successful.

I know I’m fortunate to live an extraordinary life - I’ve been knighted, met the most extraordinary people, and attended the most amazing events – but there’s never been a point in my career in which I’ve felt I’ve “made it”.  I’ve never thought as work as work and play as play – to me, it’s all living and learning. The way I see it, life is all about striving and growing. I never want to have made it, I want to continue making it!

One of the things that makes me most happy is being able to give back, which is why we started our not-for-profit foundation, Virgin Unite, to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and create real lasting change in the world. It’s also why my wife Joan and I joined Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s Giving Pledge, to dedicate the majority of our wealth to good causes.

Happiness isn’t just how I measure my success; it’s also the key to it. Most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But I know I am successful, wealthy and connected because I am happy. I wholeheartedly believe that happiness should be everyone’s goal.

Life’s too short to waste your time doing things that don’t light your fire. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, or aren’t having a lot of fun – despite the fact that you’re making a lot of money or rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous – then it’s time to move on to the something that does make you happy.

Written by

Richard Branson

Globalisation, the true way forward?

A PwC survey report questions the impact of free trade on climate change and inequality. 

In the article Larry Elliott from the Guardian reiterates that, "executives running the world’s leading companies share public scepticism about the benefits of globalisation and doubt whether breaking down barriers to trade has helped tackle climate change or inequality.

The annual health check of global boardrooms conducted by the consultancy firm PwC found the mood more upbeat than a year ago, despite the shockwaves caused in 2016 by the vote for Brexit and the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election.

But the survey, published to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos, found that the bullishness about the benefits of globalisation had diminished in the 19 years since PwC first polled executives at the end of the 1990s.

Business leaders said they remained positive about the economic benefits of free movement of goods, people and capital but questioned whether globalisation had done anything to narrow the gap between rich and poor or to stop global warming.

Trump’s arrival in the White House later this week has also raised concerns about protectionism. Almost three fifths of those questioned said they were worried about trade barriers going up, rising to 64% in the US and Mexico.

Bob Moritz, PwC’s global chairman, said: “Despite a tumultuous 2016, CEO confidence is moving back up – albeit slowly and still a long way from the levels we saw back in 2007. But there are signs of optimism right across the globe, including in the UK and US, where, despite predictions of a Trump slump and a Brexit exit, CEOs’ confidence in their company’s growth are up from 2016.”

Fears that global companies would shun Britain after the shock EU referendum result were not supported by the PwC survey, which showed more chief executives pinpointing the UK for investment than a year ago.

The survey fund that 89% of UK chief executives said they were confident about their own company’s growth prospects in the year ahead, up from 85% a year ago. Confidence about the prospect for revenue was highest in India, followed by Brazil, Australia and the UK.

The findings reflect the better than expected performance of the economy since the EU referendum last June and will be welcomed by Theresa May before her speech on Tuesday outlining the government’s aims in the Brexit negotiations.

A year ago, confidence across the globe was dented by plunging commodity prices, falling stock prices and concerns about a slowdown in China.

The 2017 survey found that 38% of chief executives were very confident about the outlook for their companies against 35% in 2016 and 29% said they expected the global economy to grow more strongly over the next 12 months, up from 27%.

The poll of almost 1,400 executives from 79 countries was conducted between September and December last year. Moritz said the findings showed that business leaders were aware of the disquiet that led to the political shocks of 2016.

“Public discontent has the potential to erode trust which is needed for long term sustainable performance. The real challenge here, though, isn’t just one of how CEOs navigate, it’s about the need for CEOs to have a deeper, two-way relationship with stakeholders, customers, employees, and the public,” Moritz said.

“Understanding the root cause of the potential discontent or perception is a critical first step towards communicating the benefits of business for society. There’s a lot at stake if we do not achieve inclusive global growth.”

Source: The Guardian

Laughing at the wrong time

Everyone that knows me will probably tell you I'm a laughing chipmunk lol and can laugh for the world. I am easily amused and ohh when I laugh it's so contagious that the meanest person can't resist but join no matter what.

             
So on this fateful day at an annual training meeting, one of the facilitators who wasn't a native English speaker with a strong Arabic accent pronounced a word that meant something different in my native language.

I couldn't help but laughed out so loud that all the attendees laughed alongside.

It was really awkward because it wasn't suppose to be that funny, lol

Right after the section I approached during the lunch break to apologies for what happened and surprisingly he was ok and began laughing as well. He later mentioned that he had used that particular phrase in a different training meeting and thus expecting some kind of reaction from the audience when he uses the same word. And lo and behold I was the scape goat for that.

I promised myself not to laugh hysterically again, however it wasn't after two minutes that one of our colleagues cracked a not so funny joke that I had to come to his rescue by laughing, hehee

Around the coffee table - 3

Good morning great Tales readers. Another work week has began, it's 16th January already. Omg! I hope the year wont move fast once again on an Achilles heels just like the previous year.

Meeting my collegues downstairs for a cup of coffee from Starbucks.

The weekend was pretty engaging, coupled with stress of completing a work assignment before Monday. Will keep you updated on the various topics of discussion around our coffee table in the comments section.

Enjoy your coffee.

Morning Inspiration

If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, You will be out of balance and in the negative! Know when to close the account - Christie Williams 

Did You Know?

Understand the culture of the organisation in which you work especially of what makes a good employee.

My past 30 years in the corporate life, I was an executive and then thrown off the corporate ladder 7 years ago. And its been a slow climb back up since.

What have I learned?
Whatever you do, be competent in your current job. Its the only true currency you have. That being said, no amount of competence will protect you when the next re-organisation comes.

Never forget that relationships in business should be business relationships. You may have a friend or a lover at work, but the relationship will end the moment the opportunity to advance in the business is placed between you and your friend or lover. By the way,I strongly recommend keeping romance outside of the workplace.

Understand that politics id a fact of corporate life,and learn to deal with it. That means you take time to understand the views of the people involved in corporate conflicts,as well as the conflicts themselves.There will be times when you have to choose between being in the right or being employed. Its your choice

Understand the culture of the organisation,especially their expectations of what makes a good employee. They all say they believe in teamwork,dedication,hard-work,etc.But look at the employees who are successful, who get the recognition, who rise quickly - they represent what the company is looking for.What do they do that you can do?

Everything communicates. How you dress, how you stand, how you speak, etc. If you want to succeed in a corporate environment, you have to communicate that you are the kind of employee that represents the corporate success story'.

By Rob Pawlikowski - Quora

The Interview Scandal

My first ever interview was right after high school with a TV station for the role as a pesonal assistant. 

As occasion demands I did my background research on tips on great interviews, the time to arrive, what to wear and how to compose myself during the interview and everything possible to know about interviews.

Well, with all this research one would have  thought I would be fully prepared and geared for the day. Lol, it didn't happen as such as I decided to test the waters with my own craziness.

It's normal to arrive at an interview 30 minutes before start time or at least an hour early. But guess what I was there 4 hours early, yes 4 good hours early.

Events within this 4 hours as I sat patiently in the lobby could be the reason why I didn't qualify for the job, lol

The first 1 hour of my stay at the lobby was welcomed by the talk pretty receptionist,  however the next three hours afterwards was amazingly awkward, hehe. So this is what happened;

After one hour I asked whether there is any cafeteria around so I could go grab some breakfast since I had nothing before leaving home. Well she showed me the nearest cafeteria which was 15 minutes walk away, after my breakfast I decided to take another 20 minutes of walk around the vicinity.

Upon my return, I sat down gently and began reading a magazine which was on the desk, yes Vogue October issue, lol such an impression I was making right and there.

I was later introduced to the HR manager who had seen me earlier when she arrived at work 2 hours ago.

Everyone kept asking why I was so early and  my response was because I wanted to beat traffic and also because I didn’t have anything important to do at home at that moment. Yes! I said that!!! LOL

A terrible incident happened few minutes later. One of the visitors who was vacating the office walked into the transparent office door thinking it was opened.

His head created a big hole in the door with pieces of glass shattered all over the floor. Honestly the bang was so loud one would have thought it was two vehicles that have collided.

I laughed!! Yes I laughed out so loud it was quite contagious that all the staffs that came out to witness the  scene joined in laughing. Mind you this gentleman was bleeding from the forehead.

Tell me,  just tell me if you were an HR manager would you hire someone like me afterwards?!

Well the interview moment arrived and the session went well, except for the part I asked if they could print out my CV for me since I went empty handed. I was joined by three other individuals who were also interviewing for the same position.

I went home thinking out loud how events unfolded and I realized my mistakes. Thank God I learnt my lessons that young and can now say I have a best jobs I could think off.

Do you have any similar stories you would  like share? 

Send them Here

Pic credit :Fotolia

Good morning...

Good morning to you all.

The Lazy Ones

There are always one or two individuals at the workplace who are sitting on time bombs of being dismissed at any possible time. These types of persons will go through the length of having an easy way of life at the workplace whilst leaving the great deal of task to be handled and executed by the other team.

Although this is not a pleasant topic for discussion around the workplace it can however not be overlooked as the impact of the actions of these individuals cost the organization immensely. John Boitnott, a digital media consultant shares some traits of such persons and possible ways of dealing with them:

1. The Vanisher.

The vanisher seems to go invisible at odd times without explanation. It could be two-hour lunches or mysteriously lengthy breaks. Perhaps the person simply calls in sick on a day when a big project is due, or shows up late for work on the day of an important morning meeting. Whatever the behavior, a vanisher always lets you down and forces other team members to pick up the slack.

How to deal with them: Vanishers are among the hardest employees to discipline because their "offenses" often occur in areas with poorly defined regulations. Set clearly-defined time expectations for vanishers and enforce them consistently.

2. The Victim.

The victim is the work equivalent of the student who claims "the dog ate my homework" in school. There are hundreds of excuses for workers to call in late, and the victim knows them all. From flat tires on the way in to work to sick pets or children, the victim is often not afraid to make things up to get out of work responsibilities. The victim may even block a position from being filled for months while only showing up to work as often as is necessary to keep earning a paycheck.

How to deal with them: Document this type of behavior early on and don’t stop. A first or second excuse, whether it’s car trouble or sickness, can be convincing, but document it anyway. By the time a fifth or seventh excuse is thrown at you, you want to make sure you’ve documented it all so the pattern is apparent and doesn’t continue that long before you need to take action.

3. The Procrastinator.

Everyone is guilty of procrastinating from time to time, but the procrastinator turns it into an art. If you have a major project, this person waits until the last minute to do his part of the work, leaving everyone else involved frustrated and anxious. On a daily-operations basis, the procrastinator simply pushes work off to another day while he or she wastes time on non-essential tasks. The procrastinator puts unnecessary stress on the rest of the team and jeopardizes every project with each deadline.

How to deal with them: Be strict with scheduling where the procrastinator is concerned. Set certain deadlines or quick meetings for them every so often that will force them to make progress and know they are accountable. Even daily check-ins may be appropriate in order to stay on top of a project's status.

4. The Delegator.

The delegator is an interesting type of lazy person, primarily because he or she puts so much effort into avoiding work. Without even being in a supervisory position, the delegator constantly pushes work off on everyone else. Many overly career-conscious people will do this. The delegator can force morale into a downward spiral and risk your reputation, especially if he or she eventually begins pushing work off on clients.

How to deal with them: Check in regularly with the delegator and keep tabs on the size of their workload (but try to avoid micromanagement). Assign work to them specifically by saying, “I’m giving you this project and you only.” Call them on it and discipline them when they violate this.

5. The Troublemaker.

Perhaps the most dangerous lazy worker is the troublemaker, who not only doesn’t work, but spends time stirring up drama throughout the office. The troublemaker can often be seen wandering from desk to desk, gossiping about co-workers and engaging in casual chitchat. If they don’t feel confident engaging others in conversation, they may instead conduct the same kind of drama-mongering through email or online. The troublemaker zaps the productivity of other workers in the office and even puts your business at risk of having confidential information exposed.

How to deal with them: These are some of the hardest people to deal with because they may not actually be breaking any rules, but are still somehow disturbing the work environment. Consider engaging with them more closely and being good to them. This is the old "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" philosophy. Communicate with the troublemaker to find out what their issues are. Stay close to them to potentially make them happier. If these efforts don’t succeed or are just too exhausting, work on building a case to let them go.

Entrepreneurs often have little time for slacking in the office. When a team member engages in disruptive behavior or shirks duties, entrepreneurs must see it as the issue it is and take measures to do something about it. In some cases, speaking to the employee may help but all too often, the only solution is to replace the lazy employee with one who will be much more productive each day'' - Entrepreneur.com

Vows or the Game?

I don't know whether to be sad or to laugh.

Vuing

I just read a story from the UK's Mirror about a football super fan who couldn't decide between the game's tickets(which he purchased months ago) over his wedding which apparently falls on the same day of the match between his team.

I just asked a colleague what he would do should he be caught in such dilemma and guess what, he says he will choose the match over the wedding, what!! lol

But this shouldn't even be a bone of contention, because I will choose the vows over the match just saying.

Would you do same?? Or you will support the stand of my colleague?

Morning Inspiration

Pinterest 

"Your success and happiness lies in you.
Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you
shall form an invincible host against difficulties" Hellen Keller

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence"
Hellen Keller

Wish you all a pleasant and great day at work. Cheers!!!

Knock Knock!! - Its almost Weekend!

The weekend is almost here.....yay!


How has your week been so far? Has it been stress free or has the emails been pouring in left-right-center like a "storm from paradise" lol

I've had a stress free week by far and I look forward to a great Friday and weekend.

I don't have any plans for the weekend yet, hence I would be delighted if one of my cherished "T-Readers" would invite me for lunch....(pauses) haaa just kidding.

"Around the Coffee Table" will be live on the blog on Monday, so be ready to participate and share with us on how your weekend and work week was 😉

Wish you all a great day! Cheers to the weekend🍸🍸

Don't touch my Almonds!!!

It can be really hectic at work sometimes due to my busy schedules, thus I occasionally miss out on having lunch. I however make up for it with my go to healthy snacks which I keep in the last drawer of my cabinet. Oops! did I just mention where I keep them? Well.... its under lock if you a planning to sneak 😆😂

Do you have a favorite healthy snack that you keep and munch on all the time at work or in between breaks?Mine is almonds(all time favorite), fruit bars or granola.

Photo credit:Vegkitchen.com

Almonds are my all time favorite due to its health benefits. Which includes the following:

Riboflavin and L-carnitine-Aids in development and growth of the human brain

Phosphorus -Promotes bone health 

Vitamin E,Magnesium -Promotes a healthy heart

Low in sodium - Control blood pressure

Folic acid - Good for pregnancy

Fiber - Weight check or maintenance

VitaminE, Calcium and Magnesium - Good skin care

What snacks are you presently keeping under lock in your cabinet???  lol kindly share, we promise not to snitch 😁😁  

How to Translate Work Email

I have a question → I have 18 questions.

I'll look into it → I've already forgotten about it

I tried my best → I did the bare minimum

Happy to discuss further → Don't ask me about this again

No worries → You really messed up this time

Take care → This is the last you'll ever hear from me

Cheers! → I have no respect for you or my self

Culled from thecooperreview.com

Wish you all a pleasant day at work!!!

Morning Inspiration

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve Jobs

Photo credit: CalorieSmash

Around the Coffee Table - 2

Wow, its a bright cold morning after new year. Happy New Year once again.

We are back to the office like we never left. Omg! the New Year celebrations from my side was pretty much awesome.Here is a brief gist on how I celebrated. I ushered in the New Year with a few friends at the magnificent fireworks. I nearly went deaf due to the screams of the thousand of people who had gathered to witness the fireworks. Right before our eyes, 2017 made its triumphant entrance amidst cheers and jubilation.

My friends and I drove straight, minutes later to a house warming party, where there was so much to eat and drink. I still cant believe I finished that big bowl of rum raising bread pudding, guess I will have to put in more work at the gym 😢

Our coffee table discussions today will be pretty much interesting as I can't wait to hear what my colleagues were up to and how they celebrated their New Year's eve and New Year. At the moment I'm in a dilemma on what to type of coffee I should have this morning, either caffe latte or cappuccino.Which type of coffee will you be having as well?

Oh! and did I mention I spent my New Year in Dubai. Yes! Dubai!!!

I strongly believe you did have much exciting moments like we did.

Welcome to 2017

Happy New Year to you all.

Quotes of the Day

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing"  Benjamin Franklin

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning"  Albert Einstein

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.A house divided against itself cannot stand" Abraham Lincoln