Lessons learnt from 3 Monks !!!

In our last P.O.M session i came to know that we can learn management lessons from a group of monks as well apart from our general course curriculum. We were asked to watch a short movie and then describe as to what we learned from it. I would strongly suggest to watch this video before you read further.............

Now as i know that most of you did not watch the video, i ll present a brief narration of the film:

Once upon a time there was a monastery at the top of the mountain but there was no source of water at the mountain except for a river which was at the foot of the mountain.In order to collect water one needs to get it from the bottom of the hill in buckets with a stick. Now further 3 scenarios are defined:

1 Monk:
 
Working alone, one monk descends the mountain and fetches two cans of water at a time everyday to fill up the water. Initially enthusiastic he starts falling asleep in prayer due to fatigue. 

2 Monks:

Soon a second monks joins him. They both decide to share the work after a initial fight. While bringing water, each wants to transfer the burden to other monk which leads to disagreement.To avoid unequal sharing of load, the first monk takes out a scale and measures the distance from one end of the pole to center while the other monk marks the distance . The two monks then carry the water with equal effort being applied by the two working as a team.

3Monks:

When the third monk joined , the two monks think of transferring the effort to the new monk. But the third monk, being thirsty and tired, drinks the entire can of water that he bought. This leads to further disagreement.The scenario changed when fire broke out in the monastery. The three monks started working together to save the monastery and succeeded. 

Lessons Learnt:

1. This story teaches us that it is inappropriate to shirk responsibility and proper measures should be taken before a catastrophe occurs.

2. We should make the best use of each other's potential in our group by understanding strengths and weaknesses and work towards realization of  our potential.

3.Cooperation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony.

4. Synergy and Team work are the key, the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects.

5. Attitude of each team member determines the fate of the task and decides for the success rate.

GOALS GOALS GOALS !!!!!

The first thing which comes to mind when we talk about goals is this....................

Anyways jokes aside setting goals is really important in business.Goal setting encourages participants to put in substantial effort. Also, because every member has defined expectations for their role, little room is left for inadequate, marginal effort to go unnoticed.Managers cannot constantly drive motivation, or keep track of an employee’s work on a continuous basis. Goals are therefore an important tool for managers, since goals have the ability to function as a self-regulatory mechanism that helps employees prioritize tasks.

The four mechanisms through which goal setting can affect individual performance are:

1.     Goals focus attention toward goal-relevant activities and away from goal-irrelevant activities.

2.     Goals serve as an energizer: Higher goals induce greater effort, while low goals induce lesser effort.

3.     Goals affect persistence; constraints with regard to resources affect work pace.

4.     Goals activate cognitive knowledge and strategies that help employees cope with the situation at hand.

Now lets talk about smart goals. So What are SMART GOALS????????

S	Specific	Significant, stretching, simple
M	Measurable	Motivational, manageable, meaningful
A	Attainable	Appropriate, achievable, agreed, assignable, actionable, adjustable, ambitious, aligned, aspirational, acceptable, action-focused
R	Relevant	Result-based, results-oriented, resourced, resonant, realistic
T	Time-bound	Time-oriented, time framed, timed, time-based, time-specific, timetabled, time limited, tangible, timely

Specific

The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important.

Measurable

The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal.

Attainable

The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is, the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be considered meaningless. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals.

Relevant

The fourth term stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. A bank manager's goal to "Make 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by 2:00pm" may be specific, measurable, attainable, and time-bound, but lacks relevance. Many times you will need support to accomplish a goal: resources, a champion voice, someone to knock down obstacles. Goals that are relevant to your boss, your team, your organization will receive that needed support.Relevant goals (when met) drive the team, department, and organization forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal.

Time-bound

The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the SMART goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency.

So while setting up your goals always remember that everything is.................