Blog having accumulated details of journals, periodicals, magazines on management and business

http://ncetlibrary.blogspot.com/2008/12/mba-journal-issues-nov-2008.html

My article on scapegoat creators

WORKPLACE ISSUES
Scapegoat Creators : The Biggest Malignancy in an Organization -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Organizations are facing a tremendous challenge in managing the problem creators. It has always been felt that organizations tend to avoid small mishaps by terming them as occasional happenings but in the true sense they are the symptoms for that dreadful cancer which is growing in the organization. Scapegoat creators are the biggest killers for organizations of any magnitude and if not addressed at the right time, they often lead to closing down the shutters.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved

Source- http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm_sub.asp

Read an article of mine on SME

Daily News & Analysis Friday, October 17, 2008 3:34:00 AM Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo must be obtained from www.3dsyndication.com.
Awareness call
Manishankar Chakraborty

The fundamentals for a big enterprise and for a small and medium enterprise remain the same. Both require what forms the core of any business entity, though their importance may vary. The macro and micro indicators for both remain the same, barring minor alterations depending upon the business environment.A few of the key fundamentals which need to be managed are:Seed capital: All organisations need a starting capital, or what is commonly referred as seed capital. For an SME, the amount may be small but its importance is big. However, the present liquidity crunch is a spanner in the works not just for SMEs but for the biggies too.Business model: The success or failure of an organisation depends on the business model formulated by the entrepreneur. Understanding the importance of stakeholders and involving them at the right time for the right input by providing them the right motivator goes a long way in making a well oiled business model. Changes in the business environment call for flexibility on the part of the business model, as companies of all sizes are exposed to all these variables. Stakeholder relationship: Stakeholders form the core of all organisations. Successful entrepreneurs are those who understand this and involve them in every step.Managing employees: SMEs must manage the human element in a way which makes them perform to the best of their abilities. People responsible for making organisational decisions should understand the nitty-gritty of the human factor so that their decisions do not offend employees. Suitable rewards for performers and recognition of extraordinary performances goes a long way in making employees feel a sense of belongingness to the organisation. Entrepreneurial spirit: Start-ups have an entrepreneurial spirit mainly because the entrepreneur brings in that element with his own drive and efforts. As the organisation starts to scale up its operations, this spirit starts to fade. An SME set up should necessarily possess the entrepreneurial spirit as, given its small size, this spirit helps in developing a cohesive unit.Business environment: The business environment is highly competitive. With America and Europe undergoing a financial crisis and emerging econo-mies like India and China on notice, it is important for to understand the shifting sands and align accordingly. SMEs may need to tap newer markets, bring in new products and retrain employees for new jobs.Managing finances: The threat to survival has compelled organisations of all stature to reduce costs by investing optimally, that too in areas which are responsible for bringing in healthy returns to investors. Bigger enterprises may use different tools, techniques and technologies to leverage the same. While SME set-ups may not take the help of technology to that extent, even for them, money saved is money earned. Institute-industry interface: SMEs should take advantage of industry-institute linkages offered by colleges/universities/institutes offering professional courses. These platforms would be the ideal ground to tap new employees and also for testing of new business ideas. Long term tie-ups through projects and research plans would create the right bonding between the academia and industry, which, in turn, would enable SMEs to look beyond their routine prism. Chakraborty is with Knowledge Horizon, a training and consultancy company headquartered in Dubai. He can reached on maniisonline @gmail.com

Source- http://www.xdot.in/view/279644/

An Interesting blog

NCET LIBRARY BLOG
Boomerang Recruitment : A Strategic Tool for Rehiring Exceptional Talent -- Rashmi Joshi; Recruitment Dynamics -- Manishankar Chakraborty; Recruitments in ...ncetlibrary.blogspot.com/ - 76k - Cached - Similar pages

Source -http://ncetlibrary.blogspot.com/

My article on "Embracing Mediocrity at the Cost of Productivity"

WORKPLACE ISSUES
Embracing Mediocrity at the Cost of Productivity -- Manishankar Chakraborty
The ever-increasing competition among organizations has made them running helter-skelter for unique and novel way of managing their enterprises. However, this fight for the survival of the fittest has also given rise to managers promoting their own vested interests at the cost of the organization. Productivity has always been a directly proportionate variable to meritocracy. In this new avatar of modern-day management, mediocrity has no place in a successful organization. This article discusses issues related to the impact of mediocrity on productivity across departments in an organization.
© 2007 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved

http://www.iupindia.org/707/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/707/hrm_sub.asp

My Article on searching for better profits

This is an article published in the renowned Indian daily-The Indian Express.Read and Comment.

My article on Decision Making

MANAGERIAL SKILLS
Decision-Making : Looks so Easy, Yet so Hard -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Decision-making is a complicated process where the consequences can be good or bad depending on the prevailing situations and the decisions taken. In spite of the fact that all and sundry are involved in the decision-making process, very few understand the implication of a decision till they encounter negative consequences. Understanding various decision-making tools will allow businessmen/managers to leverage on these tools to take not only business decisions but also the day-to-day decisions.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved

Source-http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm_sub.asp

A new link to read

http://nicearticles.net/self-improvement/191-success/330-career-building-calls-for-introspection-on-the-part-of-the-aspirant.html

My article on Recession and Students

The article published in the leading daily of central India, The Hitavada, dated 23rd December 2008 talks about the present downturn witnessed in the global economy and its impact on the Indian students.There are some measures which can be taken to survive the down turn though, they are presented in the article. Read and comment.

My article on E-learning

The Learning and Development domain of modern day organization has undergone a change.E-learning is one of the contemporary tools which is having a better impact on the organizations returns on training and development investments. This article of mine published in The Hitavada, a leading Central Indian daily details e-learning as a new tool for organizations of all stature.

Management Trainers and Consultants in India

http://creator.zoho.com/prpoint/view/1/ provides a list of management trainers and consultants in India, who can provide a host of services required by private organizations, public bodies and institutions.It provides the brief profile of all the individuals, along with their core competencies and past experiences.Its indeed a one stop shop and the list is growing continuously.

My article on Career Planning

SPECIAL ISSUE
Career Planning and Implementation : A Jigsaw Puzzle -- Manishankar Chakraborty Manishankar Chakraborty
Decisions made in haste are decisions made in waste and career moves are no exception. So, better make those career moves carefully. Learning, unlearning and relearning are the keys to success for any professional as employers prefer the proverbial jacks of all trades rather than masters of one.
© 2007 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved
Source- http://www.iupindia.org/108/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/108/mba_sub.asp

My article on UAE as a career destination

My five visit to the UAE, in the last nine months made me understand the nuances of UAE as a career destination from the secondary sources as well as from my own observation and understanding. I converted that into an article published in the Hitavada, leading English daily of Central India, dated 16th December 08.Read and comment.

One of my articles on Higher Education in India

MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
Higher Education Services : Marketing Challenges - - Manishankar Chakraborty
The success of an institute of higher learning is not solely dependent on the physical evidence. The balance is maintained between the physical evidence and people, notably faculties and staff with the right process in place. Marketing mix has always been the fundamental of strategy formulation for all the marketers. Analyzing and interpreting all the four P's namely, Product, Price, Promotion, and Place is fundamental for all the strategies, be it related to promotional offers, setting up of distribution channels, territory allotment to salesforce, etc. Product marketers considered these variables as the foundation brick for every marketing and related activities.
© 2007 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved
Source-http://www.iupindia.org/407/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/407/mba_sub.asp

Pages 17-18 of my list of publications as on 16/12/08

Pages 12-16 of my list of publications as on 16/12/08

Pages 7-11 of my list of publications as on 16/12/08

First six pages of my list of publications as on 16th December 08

My paper in JIMS 8M Journal on"Indian Management-A Global Model"

Source- http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:jims8m&volume=13&issue=3&type=toc

Read the piece on Indian Management-A global model written by me which gives a global and local perspective of the Indian management model, which catapulted many Indian companies to the crescendo.

My article on How to Manage during Recession/Slowdown

MANAGEMENT
Managing Turbulence -- Manishankar Chakraborty
The global economy is witnessing a free fall and Indian companies are also being hit by this phenomenon. Companies across sectors are resorting to cost-cutting by offering pink slips to the non-performers. The day of equilibrium is a thing of the past. Global economies are witnessing topsy-turvy changes within short spans owing to factors like global inflation due to skyrocketing oil prices, shortage of food stuffs, subprime crisis of the US and a host of other geo-political reasons. This article discusses how the organization and employees collectively can handle such challenges in the overall interest of all the stakeholders.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved
Source- http://www.iupindia.org/1108/gc.asp

My article on Performance Management System.....Read and Comment

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Performance Management System : A Strategic Tool for Competitive Advantage -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Performance Management System (PMS) is the key to the success of any organization. Modern-day organizations may have embraced technology with aplomb; however, there is no substitute for the human element. Moreover, the emergence of new generation sectors has given a higher standing for the human factor within an organization. Human resource managers across the globe are finding it very difficult to attract and retain talent. In such a scenario, the need for a proper PMS has become all the more important. Companies from knowledge sectors have devised novel PMSs which are considered benchmarks by organizations across sectors. The need for an inside-out and outside approach is the key to the framing of PMS-related strategies as PMS is now a part of a strategic tool. The human element within an organization has enabled the company to lead the race in the corporate sprint, primarily because the emergence of the services-based business model has made the internal customers (read as employees) an indispensable lot.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved
SOURCE-http://www.iupindia.org/108/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/108/hrm_sub.asp

Read one on Employee Bonding from the leading daily-The Indian Express

The article has been published in the Indian Express, a leading Indian daily which talks about the importance of employee bonding in organizations of all stature-large, medium and small. Read to know more and publish your comments so that we learn symbiotically.

Some of Interesting links to read............from www.google.com

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1198773
http://www.nagpurpulse.com/user/maniisonline
http://news.hitavadaonline.com/news/index.php?mode=single&page=11&n=8458
http://www.iupindia.org/1207/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/1207/mba_sub.asp(PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Career vs. Cricket : Drawing Parallels -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Today, many new sectors have sprung up which are absorbing professionals from diverse fields. A smooth transition can happen only if one has a concrete plan and develops sync between the first innings and second innings.
© 2007 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved )
http://www.mybigeconomy.com/ask_ques.php
(After visiting the URL shown above,select my name from the list of experts and send in your query please)
http://www.tripuratalents.com/
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2005032100471100.htm&date=2005/03/21/&prd=edu&
http://www.hindu.com/edu/2005/03/21/stories/2005032100471100.htm
http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba_sub.asp(SPECIAL ISSUE
American Recession : Impact on the Indian Job Market -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Recession is a malady that brings in decreased revenues (as most of the players retreat into their shells) and lowers production as consumption comes down, which leads to people either being given the pink slips or asked to work for reduced pay packages.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved)
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1079268
http://www.theceoinsights.com/
(After visiting the URL shown above, click into the editorial team)
http://news.hitavadaonline.com/news/index.php?mode=single&page=29&n=20672
http://www.indcareer.com/category/tags/career
http://www.indcareer.com/article/dreams-hopes-and-aspirations
http://www.careerride.com/Subject-Matter-Experts-SME.aspx
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Jeljour_results.cfm?nxtres=1921&form_name=journalBrowse&journal_id=309820&Network=Yes&SortOrder=numHits&stype=desc&lim=false
www.nicearticles.net

http://theceoinsights.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=59

http://www.siliconindia.com/userprofiles/profilebyalphabet.php?C&4824/5323$0!249

Management perspective to a menace

Terrorism is a global problem cutting across nations, religions, faiths and threatning the very survival of the human kind.Why has this problem surfaced? Is this a management problem and what could be the possible ways of tackle it?Can force be the only remedy or it has to be a mix and match of all other tools available at the disposal of every global citizen? Lot of questions without direct, readymade answers.India had been a victim since ages and its only in the last few years, the global peers has understood the challenges and hardships encountered by this big democracy. I am neither a security analyst, nor a government administrator, however, being a management trainer and consultant I can see this problem as a management problem happening in organizations and industries, albeit having a bigger magnitude and ramification. In my perspective, there is no quick fix solution to this menace, and it has to be dealt with a multipronged strategy.On one hand special groups need to understand the grievances of those who have adopted this path after leaving the mainstream, on the other hand full proof, impregnable secruity measures should be put in place so that loss of innocent life and property is averted. Sounds pretty easy, but I know its very difficult and challenging. What is needed is a concerted effort by all the nations-the ones badly affected, the ones moderately affected and the ones not yet affected.The ones not yet affected may feel that they can stay away from such forums, but believe me its like a malignant tumour which can pass on the body through the arteries, veins, body fluids, which in this case would be a globalized set up.Its time when we join hands irrespective of our ethnicity, caste, creed and religion to enable our friends shun violence and come back to the mainstream, by understanding them and at the same time collaborate for global measures which enhances the security of the mankind. If we can fight dreaded killer like AIDS and other epidemic and pandemic,we can also deal with this menace provided we are sincere towards the cause.

From an Indian erspective,I propose some moves which can be analyzed by the decision makers including all the citizens, NRI, PIO etc. to check for their viability, applicability and do an impact analysis before actually taking it forward.India has to have a team comprising of experts from different fields like psychology, human behaviour and relationship development, religous experts from different faiths but with the objective of understanding and solving the problem on a win-win basis, empathetic common citizens understanding every other fellow citizen's problem, and try to solve their problems if possible, but refrain from aggravating by making wrong statements and moves.........and more importantly creating a national terrorism fund, where every citizen pay at least INR 1 every day which goes to the a team of professional terrorism managers, located in a central hub.The corpous would be collected on a daily basis and put into a special account from where the amount is to be disbursed periodically on a need basis for welfare measures, and security purpose.The details of spending would be made public through print and electronic media on a fortnightly basis so that everyone knows what is being done to weed out terrorism and more importantly whether the finances are being optimally used or not?
Whats you take on this?

Training on role-model development

Role model development is important for every individual.Every one be it man or woman, young or old try to idolise someone or other during their life cycle. Idolising may be a conscious or a sub-conscious process depending upon the person.It may also happen that a single individual would pick up threads from different individual who are successful in their own lives and customize their strengths to suit his or her own need. I happen to meet one of my role model, the famed cricketer turned commentator, Wasim Akram while travelling to Dubai.Coincidentally we travelled in the same emirates flight and I could see him first hand............which was a sort of dream come true.I admired the cricketer not because I am a cricket buff, but because of his qualities like excellent work ethic, highly professional during the working hours and friendly during the lesiure time,competitive spirit, fire in the belly, never say die attitude, up when the chips are down, handling health problems and many more personality traits . I may not be a cricketer like him, however his successful behavioural traits have provided me lot of insights to move up the hierarchy as far as my own profession as a management trainer and consultant is concerned.Similarly, I look towards personalities like Steven Covey for his writing and thinking skills, Sachin Tendulkar for his professional apetite to succeed even after putting in two decades of rigorous international cricket, Mahatma Gandhi for his devotion, dedication and perserevance shown towards a cause....and few more eminent people from diverse fields.These people or should I refer them as stalwarts often provide me with readymade solutions to many queries which are either difficult to answer or complicated to comprehend.
Its important for all concerned to develop a set of role models who can provide motivation and roadmap inorder to succeed in ones professional and personal life.
To know the tricks of the right identification, assimilation and implementation of a role models behaviour in ones life...................contact yours truly.

Understanding the worldclass Dubai Model

I have tried to understand and analyze the unqiue Dubai model, which has catapulted the destination from nowhere into a famous shopping and tourism spot. All my last five visits including the latest one in November 08 made me realize the sincerity with which the administrators and citizens including the expatriates have contributed towards achieving this goal.Unlike many other GCC countries who sort of try to intertwin the business model around the petroleum sector, Dubai has hovered everything around travel and tourism by putting in place landmarks like the Dubai Mall(biggest mall in the world),Burj-Al-Arab(State-of-the art Worlds first seven star hotel),Burj tower(tallest tower in the planet) and a host of shopping malls, hotels and other places of entertainment, recreation which draw tourists and business travellers from all across.An event like the Dubai shopping festival is known to all shopping geeks all over the world.The concept of integrated management where everyone is having defined roles and responsibilities with a demarcated deadline and sincere work ethic looks to be the success formula.The credit goes to all the stakeholders, and emerging economies like India in particular can draw lot of lessons from their middle-east neighbour, who have created a hub out of sand.Hats off to you.......Dubai.Indeed a case study which can be discussed not only with the management students, but also with national administrators who are responsible for building models of their respective nations.

Training expenditure in the middle east during recession and slowdown

For the last one month I had been tracking almost all the leading corporations of the UAE like Emmar, Dubai world, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Dubai Islamic bank, Aldaar, Burj-Al-Arab,Emirates and Air Arabia to name a few, while training my students who represent different organizations across sectors.Recession is cascading all across and all the economies are affected in one way or the other.However, the smart corporations across the globe and few of them I observed here in UAE gave me the belief that you cannot invoke cost cutting in a very way especially when its related to brand building and employee development.In fact my reading said that the smart companies are continuing if not increasing their training related expenditure as they realize its only a matter of time after which things would return back to normalcy.Its that phase of the business cycle where you continue with the training and development plan which otherwise is cut short as preferance is given to other functional areas of management which are related with the departments considered to be the revenue spinners.
Smart companies therefore nurture and groom their soldiers(read employees) during the period of slowdown, so that they can make the right tactical moves by becoming battle ready, once the skies clear up in the economical landscape.

Customizing my training inputs in Dubai

Training corporate executives the subject "Managing Market" in November 2008, I realized the importance of localizing the training content, which compelled me to have a GLOCAL-Global inputs with a local touch.As the executives were working with leading companies from the UAE representing sectors like hospitality, real estate, travel and tourism, aviation, banks, financial services my approach of quoting examples of corporates from the UAE like Emmar, Tamweel, Emirates Airlines, Burj-Al-Arab, Jumeriya Hotels and Resorts, DFC,to name a along with the corporations from Abu Dhabi like Aldaar went a long way in making the trainees understand the concepts of Managing Markets.The response/queries emanating from the trainees mind were focussed around the sectors/companies and their impact due to the global financial crisis and thats precisely the reason why I retorted back by explaining their own organziations, the ones they are familiar with, with those of global giants like Microsoft, Cisco, Ford, Walmart,Carrefour, KLM to name a few.
Its important for a trainer to know the demographic, psychographic and behavioural status of his trainees and research around for information on the similar lines so that his academic delivery is in line with the trainees understanding.
I should admit it was a symbiotic process of knowledge enhancement as I learnt a lot along with my set of trainees. Moreover, I realized the importance of conducting a comprehensive study through primary and secondary in a new territory-be it a district, county, state or even nation as all are different in their own way, and a smart trainer can easily pick training threads from these experiences which would help in delivering need based training.

Nov. 08 Training Experiences in the Gulf

My training experience in Dubai while training professionals from different sectors representing different ethnicity made it very clear, that the trainers job to reinforce the training deliverables has to follow a blend of different training techniques and methodologies.My approach was quite simply, as I was training people from more than one nationalities, I tried to give illustrations from their own countries apart from the global examples and few from UAE-Dubai and UAE.In most of the cases english being the second language, the trainees found it difficult to handle the stuff, I therefore emphatized to the level of the poorest learner.My models of training here in the gulf during my last five visits has added to my training repertoire.

New Article Link on Recruitment

Source-http://www.iupindia.org/1108/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/1108/hrm_sub.asp

COVER STORY
Recruitment Dynamics -- Manishankar Chakraborty
Recruitment has metamorphosed from a peripheral to a central activity of an organization. The emergence of knowledge sectors, coupled with novel HR practices, is giving a new shape and dimension to the recruitment landscape. Even though there has been lot of positive changes in this sphere, still there is a need for a holistic approach which can, to a large extent, bridge the rural-urban divide amongst the Indian populace. The article provides insights into the area of recruitment and a roadmap for the inclusive growth.
© 2008 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved

Assessment-The backbone of any training program

Assessing your trainees after every training program is the most important aspect of any training department/trainer.Although there are ways and means to do it, the experience I had while mentoring senior and middle level executives from UAE, in the project (In Dubai,November-December 08)was completely different from my earlier exposures. Although I have trained and evaluated trainees(both students and professionals)in India, this new experience was an eye catching one especially when one considers the demographic diversity of the group of trainees.Most of them knew the concepts in and out,however, they lacked the theoritical understanding coupled with application.It was therefore pertinent for me to emphatize with my trainees and reach to their level of understanding.The assessment being related to their place of work, made it more interesting for me as they represented the best of the corporations from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).Interaction with the students while counseling them revealed many a secrets which allowed me to make those last minute changes so that my trainees benefit from my effort.I would candidly admit that I learnt a lot in this fifth experience in the gulf, and like my four visits to the gulf, this too had bagful of takeways for me as management trainer and consultant.

My latest Article Link on Handling Recession/Slowdown

http://www.iupindia.org/1108/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/1108/gc_sub.asp

Gulf Experiences in November-December 08

Its indeed an enriching experience to mentor, counsel and train the trainees working in various leading organisations of the gulf and pursuing their higher professional diploma from the Cambridge International Examination,UK.Students coming from different nationalities from across the Gulf, South Asia,Europe,having different backgrounds from diverse sectors really challenges your capability as assessment advisor.They need to be explained the nuances of submission pertaining to the cambridge standards and more important identify the missing gaps as far as domain knowledge, their understanding, application and presentation is concerned.Its indeed the real challenge for your truly to bring out the latent potential of all the trainees, while reinforcing the domain know-how as and when required.To add to that my experience in managing my team of experienced subject matter experts in this project is really a dream experience for any trainer who would like to learn the trade secrets of a successful trainer and training administrator at one go.Indeed I should confess my past experiences while imparting management and soft skills training to management post graduates and working professionals coupled with my Indian and gulf experiences in consultancy went a long way in making me understand the need of the trainees from middle east.There are various subtle and major differences I noticed and learnt while comparing my trainees in the gulf with that of the Indian subcontinent.These learnings I am sure would make me a better trainer with every passing day as diversity challenges your capabilities and more the variations, more would be the take-aways for a learner like me.

Managing Trainers Dilemma

Trainers are always in a dilemma when it comes to using different tools, techniques and methodologies for training the trainee. The training effectiveness being the bottomline, it is imperative for the trainer to understand the importance of choosing the right tools, techniques and methodologies to impart training.Training need analysis may provide the trainer with important insight so as to understand the actual need of training,however, something like Crik-Patrik model can go a long way in evaluating the effectiveness of the training, both in the short as well as long run.A trainer has to have the ability to experiment continuously so that he can devise new training methodologies, apart from what is being adopted by trainers globally. The trainer has to understand the importance of innovation so that he knows what is good for his trainee, in different setting and situations. Mixing adequate proportions of hard skills, soft skills with interactivities goes a long way in making a lasting impact on the trainees performance.

International Conference on Soft Skills at BITS,Pilani

It was indeed an eye opener of sorts to attend the international conference on soft skills and present a paper.The conference graced by prestigious corporate professionals and academicians proved to be a hotbed for deliberating on lots of issues on soft skills.It was clear from the comments of experts from the USA, UAE and Indian professionals, that soft skills should be imbibed intrinsically into everything be it training on domain subjects, taking soft skills sessions or even any functional or collaborative effort in the industry.The conference was an excellent effort on the part of BITS-Pilani(Languages Effort)where people from various backgrounds could talk about their own perspectives on soft skills.For me it was understanding the present scenario existing in institutes of higher learning as far as soft skills is concerned and the important role my organization can play as a global knowledge transfer,management training and consultancy in value adding the endeavours of all institutes and organizations.I realized that our model of leveraging technology to improve the reach, quality, look and feel and the end result on the part of the trainees can go a long way in value adding as far as instilling soft skills in personality is concerned. The other major benefits I could clearly see is our knowledge transfer expertise would enable in formulating implementable soft skills strategies both for individual as well as institutional learners.
The endless debate on what to consist in soft skills and what to delete, is purely need based which has to be done only after a detailed training need analysis is done, however what I observed rather painfully is that most of the stakeholders involved in imparting soft skills training adopt a one size fits all.This culminates in the trainees understanding the soft skills in a piece meal fashion which in turn is negatively reflected in their professional and personal contact.Moreover, one way of imparting soft skills training has to be relooked every fortnight commensurate with the needs of different sectors as the business environment is highly dynamic and turbulent.Ingraining the same stuffs day in and day year after year does not add any value to the trainees as what is considered contemporary by the trainers, is looked upon as obsolete by the industry, entrepreneurs and job providers. A lot needs to be done especially on industry-institute interface, however kudos to BITS-Pilani to make the first move.

Other Learning Resources from the Blogger-

BLOGS  www.manishankarthetrainer.blogspot.com    

www.manishankarscribbles.wordpress.com

MICRO BLOG www.twitter.com/manitwitts

FACE BOOK PAGES ON KNOWLEDGE SHARING, TEACHING AND LEARNING www.facebook.com/pages/manishankarthetrainerblogspotcom/200629686674250

www.facebook.com/DrManisPage

YOUTUBE LECTURE VIDEOS   http://www.youtube.com/user/drmanishankar12/videos

TEACHING AND LEARNING RELATED PRESENTATIONS

https://www.slideshare.net/DrManishankar  

BEHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

https://www.behance.net/Manishankar

ACADEMIA.EDU

 

https://hot-trends.academia.edu/DrManishankarChakraborty 

 

LINKEDIN

http://om.linkedin.com/in/manishankarthetrainer

GOOGLE PLUS

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DrManishankarChakraborty12/posts

Training the Trainers recently

My experiences in training and trainers had been a mixed one.On one hand I encountered the group which were highly receptive with an attitude to unlearn and relearn, whereas on the other there were tribes who thought they were Mr. and Ms. Perfect. To my surprise the latter felt that trainer need to understand the tricks of the trade only once and need not require any updates periodically. Training people on management and soft skills which are my areas calls for an extremely versatile approach with an attitude to learn at every time.Business environment being turbulent and volatile a trainer cannot rest on past learnings, rather he has to upgrade himself with the changing times, which calls for unlearning and relearning which in turn is linked to the attitude of the trainer.A senisble trainer especially the ones in management and soft skills learns new tricks by only being a minute observer, the rest simple follows.

Celebrating my 350th Publication

Today, 25th of September 2008, I have achieved a small personal milestone, which would not have been possible without the support of all my well wishers.I write business case studies, management and allied articles, articles on career for leading national and international publication houses.Writing is my hobby and I often get up in the midnight and collate my thoughts as articles without even wiping my eyes.Most of my thoughts are generated instantaneously after observing people at work, people in business, people opting for careers and the like.I try to challenege myself by composing at least one article every second day, which keeps my burning thought alive for more learning.Being a part of a global knowledge transfer firm only adds to my apetite.Writing is also a stress reliever for me and often when I am disturbed while coming across unethical and wrong practices in the professional and personal life, I try to convert them into articles and management case studies so that I can share the same for the well being of others.Writing is my blood, but more than that, I developed a passion for it.I can stay without food for a few days, but cant without scribbling my thoughts.

Food for thought after BITS-Pilani Conference

The international conference on Soft Skills at BITS, Pilani has definitely given lot of food for thought. Theoritically soft skills looks very easy, however metamorphosing those into practice, that too for a diverse target audience like students on one hand and employees on the other calls for lot of soul searching.Imparting soft skills therefore has to be a blend of on job and classroom training mode.The biggest fallacy most of the soft skills trainer is to believe that soft skills can be taught in the classroom alone. While the theoritical reinforcement can be done in a classroom set-up, the practical implications can be understood only if it is followed up with the practical illustrations.On job mode may be easier for working executives, but the same style can be also be simulated in academic institutes, with active participation from all and sundry in the institute.
Soft skills to be effective for a student needs a 360 degree model which I have developed which calls for active participation of all stakeholders.The stakeholders are classified as direct and indirect and their nomenclature changes with the changing times. There are various parameters on which the stakeholders are classified as direct and indirect which in turn assigns them a role in the whole soft skills training process.

Training the in-flight cabin crews

The image of an airline is made on the sky.People love Singapore Airlines or Emirates or Qantas not because they have excellent aircrafts, but because they differentiate themselves on the basis of their core offering, which entails services. My travel to all parts of India and to overseas destinations made me believe that the brand equity of an airline is dependent on the cabin crews in a very big although the ground staff across departments also have a very significant role to play in that.One big reason why few airlines in spite of having the best of the aircrafts, inspite of offering heavy price discounts and loyalty programs fail, is due to the staff's behaviour which makes or breaks the image of an airline. Although the complete service package has many other issues involved, the lack of training in the front end ground staff and in-flight crews play a decisive role in the overall profitability of an airline.

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Calculating the TRoI

Money saved is money earned. All business organizations need to understand that they have to have systems and processes in place through which they can track on their returns in the investment made. RoI for functions like Sales, Marketing, HR(to an extent),Finance is already in vogue in most of the good companies, however, the training and development department spending their annual corpus generally dont have a full proof calculation mechanism which can enable them to realize the returns.The reasons are manifold, one the company only looks after the immediate return from the training exercise which is very difficult to evaluate as sinking in the training inputs and subsequently implementing those are not only time taking, but also calls for active management particiaption, which unfortunately is missing in most organziations

New Article Link

http://www.iupindia.org/908/ae.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/908/ae_sub.asp

Training Nitty-Gritty

Training nitty-gritty entails lot of approaches which are hitherto known to only a handful few trainers. The trainers plan for their training on broad parameters like topic, however, what needs to be done is an approach where the the topic is broken down in to modules, modules into Learning Objectives and Learning Objectives into slides and screens. This approach of zooming down has a better impact on the trainees as they have measured and defined takeaways after the completion of the session.

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Recent Experiences while Interacting with Budding Managers

My recent interactions with the budding managers, on th threshold of their career shift from learning to earning made me realize quite a few things-They are all bubbling with hope and enthusiasm especially after getting the first hand knowledge of industry while pursuing their summer jobs. I also understood the fact the students need the right blend of soft skills and domain knowhow while completing their summer jobs as inappropriate division, tilts the students either towards theory or soft skills sans the right blend, thereby making the fresh mind see his future challenges only from a unidimensional perspective.The importance of understanding the mix and in what proportion lie with the faculties especially when they are grooming their students first for summer jobs and then for final placements.Nurturing proverbial jacks is important as they happen to be the darling of all the modern day industries.

Links to My Latest Publications

http://www.iupindia.org/808/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/808/gc_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm_sub.asp

Links to My Latest Publications

http://www.iupindia.org/808/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/808/gc_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/808/hrm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/hrm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm_sub.asp

http://www.tripuratalents.com/Global Working Group(NR)

An excellent initiave has been taken by Non Residential Tripuraites, ofcourse the tribe entails the Non Residential Indians as well, for harnessing the latent talent available in the state. Geo-political barriers did not deter Tripuraites to rise in the national and international platforms be it the silicon valley or the electronic city. This brain drain although a positive one for the individual concerned, has a negative fallout for the state in particular especially when it is faced with challenges owing to its geographical constraint.The determination, perseverance and zeal of all Tripuraites makes them stand out wherever they go,whatever they do. I have decided to contribute in my own small way by imparting management training, soft skills acumen, management consultancy and career counselling.If you would like to join me for this novel initiative which would provide you satisfaction to the core, come join the forum www.tripuratalent.com and be a part of the most vibrant and happening state.If you are a non-tripuraite, this experience would provide you eye opening facts, figures and experiences which I am sure was hitherto burried deep beneath the media glare drawn by other developed state of India.
This example is going to be one of its kind and my fellow friends involved in the initiave representing estemmed fields and organizations hail from all across the globe. They are all on the same page................and that is why all of us in unison Dream of a Developed Tripura...................

Management Training needs in the GCC region

My experience while working with the Dubai based Management Training,Consultancy and Knowledge Transfer giant, especially during the last three visits of UAE has been that this region undoubtedly has tremendous business potential. Its already a proven fact and I should not be awarded with any rewards/awards for the same.However, my management training and management consultancy experiences along with the understanding I had about the region made me realize that this area definitely needs management approach-be it for learning or for implementing on the GLOCAL model rather than a purely GLOBAL one.When I say GLOCAL, I mean to say that all trainees should understand their local needs and align the same with the global platforms so as to make the maximum out of the inherent potential available in the region along with the boom in technology. Local case studies on successful Arab world companies touching upon their success stories and failures would go a long way in making all existing as well as prospective manager, entrepreneur, practising managers and even students and researchers understand and implement strategies commensurate with their exact needs. The training delivery techniques be it management ot soft skills training also has to be tailor made for the GCC region.
I have understood how it should be done and on the basis of my past experience, I can safely say that I can do it.........................
Kudos to UAE and the GCC region for the potential you generated only from SAND and SEA

MANAGEMENT learning from UAE visit

There are lot of learnings which I have imbibed from the three visits to the United Arab Emirates. They can very well be customized for a country like India, however what I admired here in UAE is their knack towards discipline in everything they do, whether it is managing self, managing vehicles or even managing business.Experts and localities say that it's because of the local rules that people are bound to abide by discipline in whatever they do;if thats the case then what is stopping a country like India to bring in such rules which can very well change the aspect of management, be it traffic, self or business.As they say, if you are not willing voluntarily, then someone has to make it mandatory and it can only be the government and noone else.

All Three Dubai Experiences------Management Learning

I am in my third visit to Dubai, UAE and this time around I am getting first hand exposure of strategic marketing planning whereby an organization is trying to launch internationally accredited training offerings or solutions in the arab world. The difference in marketing dynamics is clearly evident when one compares with the subcontinental market in terms of positioning, pricing, promotional offers, advertising etc. It was an eye opener for me to know understand all these aspects of marketing management in context to the Arab world.

The second Dubai visit was a first hand experience in corporate restructuring.

The first Dubai visit was more on mission and vision finalization of a company which was metamorphosing from being local to global.

However, I need to admit the go getting attitude of the management of the company, which is enabling the company to reach for the stars.

Making Case Studies as a Training Material

Case Studies are often used in a business school as a training and teaching tool.I have developed many case studies till date which consists of local and global companies.These case studies are undoubtedly of immense help to train students the fine prints of management and business administration.However, these cases are also being used by me while imparting corporate training and my observation has been highly positive as the net takeaways after every training and workshop program are more than those where case based training was not the focus.
Know more from me how to make business management cases

Dubai Consulting Experiences

It was the recent experience I had in Dubai with a leading company while working on a project of corporate restructuring that I would like to share with you all.I was working there with a team of subject matter experts along with the guidance of director of SAARC operations of that company whereby I realized the fact that corporate restructuring is more than merely setting up the hierarchial map, it called for a overall change in everything starting from employee expectations to the embracing up of a new organisational culture.The first phase of the project was a due diligence, where an audit was conducted and was then related with their past data and informations.It was preety evident that in corporate restructuring, the onus lies more on the management as they have to lead from the front in all the employees taking equal ownership to accept change with an open mind.Goes without saying these type of exercise also bring to the fore 20% of employees who contribute to the 80% of organizational productivity.
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New Ones and interesting

http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/ae_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/408/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/408/mba_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/hrmreview.asp

Experience sharing-Training Management Teachers

My recent training and workshop experience with UG and PG faculties of different domains of management, soft skills, IT, Economics gave me lot of new insights, which can very well be leveraged by trainers/teachers involved in management sphere. They are as follows-Case based learning, Operation work based learning,Live Project based learning, Role play are very important in teaching management, however they need to be customized keeping in mind the students and their level of understanding.Moreover, it also calls for the trainer making rapid changes to move from predicted and obsolete pedagogical tools to novel and innovative ones.It also requires lot of guts on the part of the trainer, to bring in that change and successfully implement it as this change is going to affect all stakeholders.Managing the teething problem is the core and I can very well see, the management of institutes playing a pivotal role in bringing in that metamorphosis.

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EFQM Assessor Training Program

I am now an EFQM (European Foundation on Quality Management) assessor. I have successfully completed the EFQM assessor program of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) at CII-Institute of Quality,Bengaluru(erstwhile Bangalore) from 10th to 13th of June 2008. It's really amazing how "five enablers and four results" in the EFQM model makes an excellent organization through persistent effort and meticuluous planning and implementation.You can know more from www.efqm.org and also from me.

Benefits of e-Training

E or electronic training has many advantages over conventional approaches and methodologies.For one it is cost effective and has a deeper reach without facing the hurdle of time constraint.Moreover, it is not an one time affair, and can also be customized as per the changing need of the trainee.Leveraging enablers like technology so as to penetrate deep into the organization is possible through e-training.Companies like Dubai Headquartered Knowledge Horizon are doing excellent work in this area. Know more from me......................

New Links for my articles

http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc_sub.asp

Metamorphosing from People Centric to Process Centric Training

People centric training is the common practice followed all across the globe. In people centric training, the trainer calls the shot be it finalization of training approaches, devising and implementing training methodologies, evaluation parameters, supplements to be incorporated in the training, value added benefits for the trainee and the like.While it is good for an organization to have people centric approach, it however makes a dent in the organization's exchequer, primarily because the trainer calls the shot.If the trainer is stationed in-house then he would like to impart the training matching his own needs, thereby thinking less about the organization and the output achieved.However, in such a scenario the poor Human Resource Department more specically the Training and Development cell is held ransom to the whims and fancies of a single trainer.Moreover, the trainer often tries to influence the trainees for their own vested interests and therefore there is a urgent need to standardize training procedures be changing it to process based one.

Link for my article

http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/608/mba_sub.asp

New Links of my articles

http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/mm_sub.asp

http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc.asp?mag=http://www.iupindia.org/708/gc_sub.asp

Trainers Introspection

Training methodlogies has to be chosen keeping in mind the target audience, the objective of the training and parameters like content, exercises, interactivity, tools etc. One size fits all in training is a passe. The trainer has to do thorough research so as to understand what would suit the trainees.It's more than the routine Training Need Analysis(tna) as the routine introspection calls for more than a TNA.Soul searching coupled with proper due diligence is the need of the hour and it's therefore pertinent on the part of the trainer to conduct a thorough research which in turn would provide the roadmap for during training and after training methodologies to be adopted.

Know more from me....

My experience in Dubai while working on a project is worth mentioning.I found it extremely interesting to understand the dynamics between Indian and UAE based organizations.There are good and bad measures if ones compares both these organisations, i.e. Indian corporates and UAE based ones. Metamorphosing from a local to global player calls for different types of qualities which necessarily has to be strategic related, but the same feeling and spirit should percolate down to all the functions across the ranks.This is where I realised the top management need to play a pivotal role as being the decision maker it is their responsibility to sow the seeds of change and welcome it by both hands not only by words but also in action.A company might have all the resources which makes it feel that it has a global ingredients, but the same is not accepted unless it is accepted by the masses, which necessarily means the current crop of and future stakeholders.Organisational transformation calls for a lot of introspection as management going for wholesale changes without understanding the nuances and before looking back into the history sheet might land up with a distorted shape, size and scale.

Experiences of Corporate Restructuring in Dubai

My recent experiences with a team of subject matter experts while working on a project on corporate restructuring was an eye opener for me.I not only gained lot of learning out of that but it also enabled me to see the existing corporate restructure from different angles primarily because domain experts from multidiscipline perspective.Moreover, this platform was also one where every understood the organisation from different perspective, realised the earlier gap analysis findings from different points so as to come out with novel and effective measures.
In a nutshell I could realize the differences in Indian and UAE market as far as corporate functioning and structuring is concerned.

Experiences of Corporate Restructuring in Dubai

My recent experiences with a team of subject matter experts while working on a project on corporate restructuring was an eye opener for me.I not only gained lot of learning out of that but it also enabled me to see the existing corporate restructure from different angles primarily because domain experts from multidiscipline perspective.Moreover, this platform was also one where every understood the organisation from different perspective, realised the earlier gap analysis findings from different points so as to come out with novel and effective measures.
In a nutshell I could realize the differences in Indian and UAE market as far as corporate functioning and structuring is concerned.

Training employees on Knowledge Managment

Knowledge Management(KM) has become the cornerstone for all organizations, notably the ones from the knowledge or new economy sectors like IT, ITeS or biotechnology.The spillover effect has however taken such practices even into the mainstream whereby companies from old economy sectors are leveraging the same to the hilt.KM is basically the culture development and its effective implementation within the rank and file of the organization. The training to bring in that revolution calls for more than what meets the naked eye.My research and implementation of my modules on KM techniques has provided me one big learning, and that is the the module fundamentals are the same, but the implementation tactics are vastly different.

Training for taking initiatives

Organizations want their employees to take initiatives and come out with novel practices not only within their scope of work, but across functions and levels.This in turn calls for an open and rewarding approach on the part of the management and participative approach on the part of the employees. Mere lip service does not suffice, it calls for more than that as the move is more of a cultural drive, rather than functional ones. My experience has made me come out with a module which can train management and staff seperately on these aspects and then align it together in the interest of the organization.

Training for peer learning

Peer learning is an effective learning tool for all professionals especially the ones from the new economy sectors like IT,ITeS and other services sector.Since these sectors are knowledge driven, where knowledge workers play a pivotal role, it is important to germinate a culture of peer learning, which in turn would culminate in knowledge sharing.However, it's not easy as my consulting experiences have revealed that peer learning is an element which should be ingrained as part of the culture, which in turn calls for training.Training staff on peer learning is different from training management cadre on peer learning as the personality attributes varies in both the cases.
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Training for self management

Self management si an essential for personal success, be it at the professional level or at the personal level.My modules on leveraging management tools for self management focusses on all these aspects, where I have tried to apply and relate all modern day management concepts in the day to day life of an individual.It's basically deciphering the bigger meaning of all such concepts, which enables a person to be more efficient by cashing on the resources.

Training on soul-searching

Managers and entrepreneurs especially the ones who are packed with lot of tasks and responsibilites hardly find time to do some real introspections or to undergo the process of soul searching.It is an absolute must as it is during these sessions one realizes that whether the thought process and actions being taken are on track or they deviate from a normal one, which is hitherto not being visible to naked and audible to semi-open ears.It all happens primarily because all these people are crammed into their schedules as a result of which they simply cannot ponder on issues, which needs to be given a serious thought.....................not only in the interest of the organization, but also for the concerned individual involved in decision making and implementation. My module on the same is a research based one and I have found out that planned training itinerary with the right follow-ups works when it comes to soul searching and introspection.
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Training Management on Slippery issues

There are various slippery issues emanating from the management of an organization, which culminates in people erosion, lowering of bottomlines, and other negative indicators which creates irreparable damamge to an organization. The reasons for these slippery issues could be many, one it could be too much to do in too less a time, with too little of resources(which ofcourse is the the order of the day and therefore you need management)but it crosses the threshold than the results are detrimental to an organization.In such a state, quite oftenI have noticed management to be confused with a cluttered mind and therefore try to impose unrealistic targets and expectations.There are also instances of the organizational environment changing like there are changes happening in a food menu.This fickle approach leads the organization into a black hole.My consultancy and mentoring stints with many a top managers and executives across sectors revealed that there should be rigorous training on such matters, which apart from looking into the strategic perspectives also looks into the functional areas.Thats the need of the hour for any growing organization................................know more from me

The need for training in e-learning industry to develop functional cohesion

The e-learning industry works in a process where various functional experts like instructional designers, graphic designers, subject matter experts, programmers, visualizers works in tandem. All these professionals need to be trained on the softer aspects as cohesion between departments and experts is of paramount importance as they need to compliment each other in the interest of the project.Quite often it has been observed that the lack of understanding and ego culminates in creating false understandings, thereby affecting the product delivery and quality.

Training for SME in the e-Learning industry

Training for a Subject Matter Expert in the electronic learning industry is an absolute must as the subject matter expert, who may be sound in domain know-how has to given training on embracing technology as a blend of knowledge and technology are the prerequisite for the e-learning industry.Moreover the SME need to understand what would be the proportion of technology and knowledge so as to make the e-learning presentations a perfect one, which requires training which has to be multifaceted. If this proportion is explained and the SME are able to mix both in the right amount then wonderful e-learning solutions can be made. The training however has to be very focussed for which various novel ways of training need analysis has to be performed.
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Segmentation and Targeting in Training

Sounds surprising!!!!!!!!!!!!Segmentation and Targeting in training? Whcich are essentially part of Marketing Management, but hang on, my experience in conducting so many corporate and students training program has given me enough food for thought to make this a precursor for all my training programs and workshops.Segmentation and Targeting play a very important role as there are various basis on which the segmentation is done for the audience.On the basis the targeting strategies are finalized which in turn are related in a very big way with that of the preparation and implementation of the training modules.Chances are that nine out of ten times you would come out satisfied from the session and this is my assurance.

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Career as a trainer

Career as a trainer is highly challenging and satisfying provided one has the knack to groom people and grow and learn with them.Trainers are not just the tribes who can communicate well, more than that they should be the one who can bring in that change in the future of a person.He should be a motivator, an orator, an analyst, a counsellor, a mentor, a guide, a planner, and a host of other roles...............which makes one an ideal trainer.One big reasons why training fail is the absence of the right trainers. Know the tricks of recuiting and identifying the right trainer....from me

Training to groom leaders

Training are born or made?I am of the firm belief that leaders are always made.Bill Gates was not a leader immediately after coming out from his mother's womb....and likewiseBut who is responsible for making those leaders?It is us as trainers who play a pivotal role in making a common man realize his latent abilities to lead.Training people to be leaders might seem easy but to be honest, it's very difficult as it entails more than mere training.Grooming people to be leaders entails mentoring, counseling, motivating,guiding,handholding and the like. It is therefore imperative for the trainers to be prepared for a long haul in making the prospect understand the nuances of leadership and more importantly trigger his or her passion and thought process so that they start treading on the path of leadership.Leadership as they say consists of many traits for which a prospective trainee has to do away with the myths and misconceptions.Know more from me......................