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Why Stand-Up Meetings Are The Latest Trend?

Why Stand-Up Meetings Are The Latest Trend?

Business How To’s, Business Innovations, , , , , , , ,

In the corporate world, meetings are often considered to be a tedious and time-consuming task, which eat into valuable work hours and impede productivity. However, meetings are an essential part of work life and, when done the right way, can ensure enhanced results at work.

Stand-up meetings, a quickly emerging trend, provide a viable solution that saves time and enhances productivity.

Let’s take a look at the apparent differences between the traditional status meetings and stand-up meetings.

Status meetings are usually conducted when there is a need to discuss and find solutions to business problems. On the other hand, stand-up meetings are held on every working day. In short, stand-up meetings are status meetings conducted on a daily basis.

Secondly, as the name suggests, stand-up meetings are held standing up, which is in sharp contrast to traditional team meetings which require a meeting room to be arranged, invites to be sent and attendees to be gathered.

Being status-oriented, stand-up meetings keep a close tab on the projects each team member is working on, and the progress made. Therefore, discussions centre around these recurring questions – work completed the previous day, tasks that need to be attended to on that day, enlisting tasks according to their priority, among others.

Manage Tasks Daily

Stand-up meetings motivate you to manage work and approach each task in an organised manner. It is an effective way of reminding you of impending tasks, so you honour every deadline. It serves as a motivation for employees to start the workday with a fresh mind, armed with the schedule for the day.

Team Building

The pressure of work and stringent timelines usually come in the way of team building. Often, professionals are unaware of what projects other team members may be working on, or the progress made in those projects. Stand-up meetings act as a breather for team members from the daily grind, gives them an opportunity to interact with others and helps them to be in sync. This, in turn, boosts team bonding.

Why Stand-Up Meetings Are The Latest Trend?

Image Courtesy:ybox

Time Is Money For Stand-Up Meetings

Status meetings often turn out to be much more than just a platform for discussing, brainstorming and finding solutions to business problems. Diversions like checking phones every once in a while, attending to calls or taking a coffee break make the meetings stretch beyond what is essential for discussing work. On the other hand, stand-up meetings are quick, to-the-point and comparatively free from distractions.

Stand-up meetings make the most of the time spent without compromising on productivity.

Why Stand-Up Meetings Are The Latest Trend?

Image Courtesy:BPD Advertising

Better Participation From The Team Members

Short meetings command the attention of the team members, encouraging active participation from them. On the other hand, employees tend to lose interest in traditional meetings that stretch for hours. This affects active participation from them, defeating the purpose of meetings.

Meetings that aren’t time-consuming, serve the purpose without compromising on productivity are definitely a win-win solution for everyone. Stand-up meetings tick all the right boxes and, therefore, are a trend that’s here to stay.

Practices That Could Better Your Project Management Skills

Practices That Could Better Your Project Management Skills

Business How To’s, , , , ,

One day you’re a rookie, straight out of college and all of a sudden, you find yourself handling responsibilities and tasks on your own.

Becoming an executive is great, but it is a serious role that requires you to be fully prepared. Fully prepared, how? If you’re qualified to do the job you’ll obviously do it well, right?

Wrong.

There is more, so much more, to managing a team and successfully executing a project. Here are 5 project management skills that will help you to sail through projects that much more easily.

#1 Prioritizing Tasks

There will always be some other task (or more) vying for your attention. You need to understand what needs to be prioritized and completed first. Remember, you are not putting off work, but are scheduling tasks so everything gets done without you or your team scrambling between multiple tasks at the same time, giving each project its due time and effort.

Learn to make proper to-do lists, or better still, put your smartphone and work computer to good use.For instance, Mac loyalists can opt for a mobile app like SnoozeMaster for setting reminders for impending tasks that need to be completed within a wide span of time, ranging from a couple of minutes to as long as several months. Android users too are not left behind in terms of tech tools that enhance their project management skills with apps such as Calendar Master (in the image below). They enable professionals to activate a wide range of customized snooze options depending on the software service being used for the reminders.

Practices That Could Better Your Project Management Skills
Image Courtesy: Novell

#2 Project Management = People Management

When you choose the right people, it is like getting half the task done already. They already possess the skills and acumen to accomplish the project goals.

However, also remember that when you put together a team, it is not just for the professional skills that they bring to the table. Are they all compatible? Do they share the same goals, overall? If there are conflicts, being able to handle them efficiently is also a hallmark of a successful executive.

#3 Try And Test

Learn, if you wish, from your previous experiences and case studies, but you must also understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. There are many factors at play and each project must be handled according to its individual requirement, whether it is the client, the end-user, the market, the working team or even the top management’s say.

Innovate and be willing to try new things rather than force-fit a previously worked solution onto the current project.

#4 Time Management Skills

If you let it run, a project can run forever. Or it can refuse to stick to your expected timelines. You are the leader and you must anticipate and plan for each phase, backtracking every detail from the expected time of delivery to the day you start the project.

Try and plan well in advance what are the key elements of the project, if possible allot the most time to them and work your way down to the less important elements.

#5 Making The Most of Technology

Even though we have a dedicated team and each one has a role to play to ensure that the project gets completed on time and the desired results are achieved, it pays to have a little help if not assistance from technology.

We all are already slaves to technology, but in the professional world, it helps to have technology at your beck and call.The tech world is filled with project management tools like Trello, Wrike, and Evernote, to name just a few, that can help you mark your progress and keep you in check if you are faltering.

Practices That Could Better Your Project Management Skills
Image Courtesy: Trello

Don’t Just Be Heard, Get Listened To

Business How To’s, , ,

Don’t Just Be Heard, Get Listened To

Via: http://teachingtogether.info/passport-popstars/

As an entrepreneur we are always striving our best to lead our team and business to secure newer and better achievements, but in order to do so, we need our team to listen to what we say and act accordingly.

An analysis study that was conducted by the George Washington University claimed that listening had the ability to influence up to 40% of a leader’s job performance.Why is it then that our teams don’t listen to all we say? Don’t be surprised if we tell you that the secret could lie with your own listening skills.

If someone were to question us about our listening skill, we are more than likely to rate our skills above average, some would go on to say that they are rather good. But, is it so?

Read on to find out how it is that you can really get your team to listen to you and not make you feel like a preacher preaching a sermon.

  • People Like Listening To Listeners

Research says that leaders who listen to their team and value their employee’s opinions, get listened to themselves. A team is likely to obey and agree with a leader who listens to them rather than just imposes their views and opinions on them. So, when you conduct that next meeting, try and discuss a problem rather than announcing an answer that you deem fit.

  • Bring Out The Rationale Behind What You Say

Haven’t you ever idolized someone so much that you’ve wished that you could think like them? Well, it is no different for your team. An ideal leader is often idolized and your team would like to know how is it that you get the ideas that you get. As a best practice, try and explain the rationale behind what you are saying. This might help your team to understand what you say better, and then act better.

  • Stop Worrying About The Answer

When someone approaches to talk to you, instead of focusing on what you will say to them in return, try focusing on what they are actually saying. This will not just help the person talking to you feel more involved, but it will also help you frame your answer better. Another pro tip is to use and repeat a few words that the person used, as it reassures the speaker that they were heard.

  • The Other Language

Body language plays an important role when not just talking or addressing people, but also when listening to them. A positive body language can make a conversation that much more meaningful for the person who has approached you. Leaning in a little towards them, not answering your phone or glimpsing at it, nodding your head, and even an appropriate expression can sometimes make the person talking feel that more comfortable and thereby build trust. Needless to say, that a leader needs to be trusted by his or her followers.

Active and effective listening is not something that you can master in a day, but you can put in a little conscious effort every day and get better and better.

6 Smart Hacks To Deal With Mental Blocks & Burnouts At Work That You May Not Know

6 Smart Hacks To Deal With Mental Blocks & Burnouts At Work That You May Not Know

Business How To’s, Work Life Balance, , , , , ,

Sometimes, despite you putting in your best efforts, getting stuck with a mental block or experiencing a burnout is inevitable. Instead of banging your head against such a psychological wall try these smart hacks instead.

  1. Hit a hurdle with a seemingly Herculean list of tasks at hand? Tackle the easier ones first. Tick them off your seamlessly never-ending checklist to make it appear shorter and the remaining tasks achievable. Hurrah!
  2. Set an alarm after fifteen minutes, get-set-go and aim to complete a task by the time the alarm goes off. Even if it does not get completed by then, you will have achieved the momentum to continue working till you get it off your list. What a relief!

  3. Give your hand a free run. Unburden your mind on a piece of paper and scribble away to glory!

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  4. Divert your mind and pep yourself up. Write motivational quotes on sticky notes, let your mind wander randomly or simply stare vacantly at the greens outside (It is the weather for window staring too!). Find your inspiration!

  5. Mind travel. Think about incidents that you’ve enjoyed or plan something for the coming weekend that you’ve never done before. Unwind for some time.

  6. How about promising yourself a treat for completing the immediate task? Indulge.

Curlytales & Awfis

Aspirational Travel & Lifestyle Storytelling on Digital: CurlyTales

Inspiring Stories, , , , , ,

#inspiringstories @Awfis is an initiative by Awfis Editorial Team to showcase the brilliance of the business ideas and the journey of our start-up member community.

Kamiya Jani was working as a Business News Anchor of a renowned TV channel when the travel bug bit her. Taken over by her adventurous streak, she spontaneously took the decision of quitting her job and exploring the world. Soon, she had visited as many as 34 countries and 103 cities, experiencing the adrenaline rush of indulging in breathtaking adventures! She believes that “If we were meant to be at one place, we would rather have roots instead of feet”. We couldn’t agree more, Kamiya!

She further indulged her passion for traveling by starting a travel and content platform. Thus, CurlyTales took to its wings!

Kamiya’s content platform specializes in creating engaging content about the must-see places and activities to indulge in across countries. They also create 1-minute videos of spectacular travel experiences around the world. Their content has helped them in garnering a fairly strong followership on social media. CurlyTales works closely with tourism boards, hotels, restaurants and fashion brands for planning innovative campaigns.

Here’s a sneak peek into a couple of her food stories.

Aspirational Travel & Lifestyle Storytelling on Digital: CurlyTales

Trending section on the website that curates all the must go to places

As travel and lifestyle have a universal appeal, CurlyTales offers their customers the opportunity to visually travel to places around the world through the power of words. Their USP is their 1-minute videos that often enjoy good virality. Their hyper-local recommendations also often ensure encouraging results.

Kamiya believes that the aspirational tonality of their content makes it relatable and achievable, establishing a connection with their followers. The travel goals that CurlyTales provide stimulate their imagination and motivate them to give wings to the Euripides in them, just as Kamiya does in the image below. CurlyTales embodies Kamiya’s penchant for sharing her travel experiences with everyone, through their digital medium.

Kamya

CurlyTales is a small yet an enthusiastic and multi-tasking team of three members. While Kamiya shoots the 1-minute videos, Natasha is the Senior Content Editor who strategies and curates the content for the website and social media pages. Akriti is the multi-talented Communications Designer who, apart from taking care of the visual appeal of the website, also doubles up as a writer.

One of Kamiya’s personal challenges is the six to seven hours she spends in shooting the videos. Frequent occurrences like airport transits, flight delays, bad weather and poor health further pose challenges, which can be tackled through efficient time management. Travel being her primary source of inspiration, she feels – “I have always believed that travel is integral to my growth as a human being and in making me a better person who is accepting of every culture, religion, and race. Travel helps me appreciate the diversity that our world has to offer.”

Kamiya enumerates the many benefits of co-working spaces for start-ups. She states that start-ups inevitably undergo several stages of evolution while understanding the various modes of business. This leaves them with no time for selecting an office space with the necessary infrastructure, something that Awfis guarantees. What’s more, Awfis being close to her home has been a cherry on the cake, saving crucial travel time. The vibrant interiors and networking opportunities with other start-ups further drives home the advantages of shared office spaces.

We, at Awfis, are at one with Kamiya, Natasha and Akriti’s journey being an inspiring one, and are proud to foster such inspiring stories in our workspace.

When You Sit Correctly, Workplace Fatigue Doesn’t Stand A Chance

Business How To’s, Work Life Balance, , , , , , , ,

Consider this scenario. You start suffering from mild neck pain. You ignore it initially, but when it wouldn’t go away, you consulted a doctor. The prognosis is obvious – bad working posture. Sounds familiar, right?

We’re the lazy generation. We drive to work, we don’t do much physical labour, we have help at home, we sit all day long and we wonder why we’re not as fit as our parents used to be.

By the time you are 21-22 and you start working, you are already part of the average adult populace that doesn’t stand a chance against workplace fatigue. That is unless you are aware of the pitfalls of a sedentary lifestyle.

Do you know that on average we working adults spend almost 70% of our day hours just sitting? A study that says sitting for more than 6 hours at a stretch is the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day! Who would’ve thought sitting down can be so dangerous!

Our deskbound jobs are creating a generation of workers who suffer from chronic neck and back pain, stiff shoulder joints, wrist aches and painful knees. All of which are a result of bad working posture.

The brunt of this health issue is borne by the worker, but employers too have to pay the price, either through healthcare reimbursement or in time lost through sick leaves.

What can we do to stop this epidemic from spreading any further?

Employers and employees can work together to combat workplace fatigue.

Employees can follow this simple 10-point checklist:

  • Support your arms when you work at the desk to prevent neck and shoulder pain.When You Sit Correctly, Workplace Fatigue Doesn’t Stand A Chance
  • Keep your head aligned with its base. Don’t stick your head and neck forward.
  • Sit straight. Make sure your back is fully supported by the chair. Don’t sit on the edge and keep the chair as close to the desk as possible.
  • Make sure your feet are comfortably placed on the floor and not dangling in the air. Adjust the seat if you feel any pressure.
  • The laptop or computer monitor should be at eye level. Your keyboard should be right in front of the screen.

When You Sit Correctly, Workplace Fatigue Doesn’t Stand A Chance

  • Do not jam the phone receiver between your neck and ear while talking. If it’s a mobile, get up and walk the talk.
  • Keep the keyboard and mouse at a comfortable distance from you.
  • Your monitor should be at least an arm’s length away. Too close puts a strain on your eyes.
  • Control monitor brightness and make sure you don’t place it in front of a window or a bright screen.
  • Every 15-20 minutes give your eyes a break for a few seconds by staring at an object at a distance.

As an employer, you can help your people meet their health goals by:

  • Having more standing meetings than sitting.
  • Investing in ergonomic chairs and desks.
  • Ensuring the right lighting and monitor placement.
  • Providing a comfortable temperature to work in.
  • For those required to talk on the phone for a long time, a headset should be provided

When You Sit Correctly, Workplace Fatigue Doesn’t Stand A Chance

These simple and yet obvious ways are a sure way to reduce the possibility of workplace fatigue. Implement, enforce and benefit.

Do's and Dont's of Shared Office Space

Do’s and Don’ts of Shared Office Space

Business How To’s,

Workspaces need certain etiquettes to be followed for making the place conducive for work and maintaining basic hygiene. Shared office spaces aren’t any different in this regard. Instead, it requires you to be more cautious and accommodating of others since several organizations work under the same roof. Let’s take a sneak peak into what’s acceptable in a co-working space and what isn’t.

Do's and Dont's of Shared Office Space

How F1 Race Best Epitomizes Great Team Work

How F1 Race Best Epitomizes Great Team Work

Business How To’s, , , , , ,

“A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” – Simon Sinek

What justifies the above statement better than the way a Formula One team works – on and off the racing circuit.

Seated behind the wheel, an F1 driver corners all the glory for his attractive maneuvering skills. But at the pit stop, 16+ people juggle with equipment for not more than 4 seconds to get the mean machine up and revving.

The driver and the pit crew symbolize teamwork on the F1 circuit. However, behind the scene, an army of technologists and skilled factory men work tirelessly to design, build, manufacture and test components that would give a final shape to the beast on the road that grabs your eyeballs.

F1 racing is nothing but a team effort supported by technology and skills, demonstrated amply by the likes of the Canadian Grand Prix and other big races. So if a Sebastian Vettel or a Lewis Hamilton gets to pop the champagne at Azerbaijan on June 25, it will be Team Ferrari that will walk away with all the laurels.

So what lesson in teamwork does F1 teach us?

  1. Team Selection

Choose the right people for the right job. What if Mercedes hires a person good enough to be a lollipop man to change tyres? The man will fail miserably! And the driver could very well end up in the hospital.

Work output depends on the people who constitute your team. So, aim to get the best!

  1. Skill Development

Once you choose the right people, the next task is to train them well. For example, if the front wingmen in an F1 crew do not adjust the wing angle correctly, the driver won’t get the downforce needed to balance the vehicle.

For a team to success, continuously enhance your employees’ skills. This will guarantee you the best results, every single time!

  1. Plan For All Eventualities

The 90-minute action on an F1 circuit is a result of months and years of planning. Each team meets several times to strategize and let everyone know his/her role and team strategy. A good plan separates a winning team from a losing team!

Plan in advance and delegate responsibilities clearly to optimize output.

  1. Work As A Team, But Value Individual Talent

The task of the front jack man is considered the most hazardous, as it requires standing directly in front of the car as it enters the pit box. The four tyre changers rely on him to unbolt the tyre and put a new one back within a few seconds. What if the tyre changers do not trust the front jack man’s ability to bring the car to a halt?

The job of a pit crew can never be accomplished without its ability to collaborate and believe in each other’s ability to accomplish the task with accuracy.

Working as a team is different from meddling in other’s job. Offer help if sought, but also have faith in your colleagues’ ability to accomplish their tasks independently.

Ransomware - Software Patching - A Stitch In Time For Businesses

Software Patching – A Stitch In Time For Businesses

Business How To’s, , , , , , , , , , ,

Software Patching - A Stitch In Time For Businesses

Image Courtesy: blog.kaspersky.com

200,000 victims across 150 countries were left grappling with the aftermaths of yet another Ransomware cyber attack which has been described as “unprecedented in its scale” by Europol Chief Ron Wainwright in an interview to BBC News.

Payments were demanded from users using Bitcoin, to access user’s files that were affected by the virus. The infection that was spreading across networks faster than it could be controlled is not the first of its kind and if experts are to be believed, it certainly wasn’t the last.

The virus found its way through an exploit in the Windows XP operating systems, and even though a temporary patch did slow down its ill effects, it was a little too late. In fact, UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned of many more such attacks to come.

Software Patching - A Stitch In Time For Businesses

A screen for the ransomware attack

Could this have been avoided? Many argue that yes, such Ransomware attacks can be avoided, and there are those who would advocate that they did all they could. The obvious question that follows is what your plan of action should be to safeguard your interests and assets.

Patch Your System

Even though Microsoft had already issued a software patch to combat the WannaCry Ransomware attack in March, systems that had not applied this software patch were the affected the worst.

It is important that whenever a software patch is sent for your systems it is applied and run immediately. It ensures that your system is safe and protected, preventing cyber criminals from attacking your system or at least reduces the vulnerabilities that are susceptible to the system.

Most companies have a patch management process in place, whose responsibility is to run software patches and upgrades as frequently as on a monthly basis.

Update Your Anti-Virus System

Though patching your system is the backbone of cyber security protocols, having an anti-virus system is its skin. Ensuring that you have a tough-skinned anti-virus system that fights off early signs of system vulnerabilities is another practice that will further your cyber security protocol.

Anti-virus systems allow not just organizations, but even individuals to safeguard their hardware as well as software, especially when using shared network spaces. Such software also scans your computer files and highlights malicious software and asks you to clean your files.

Anti-virus systems also prompt users and issue warnings, and act as a hygiene check for systems they are implemented on.

Back-Up Your Data

Large-scale organizations have a system back-up implemented that regularly stores all of their data. As regards individual systems or personal systems are concerned, you should conduct a data back-up as well. This will help prevent data loss as well as make your data safe in case it is held for ransom.

Though hardware and software providers and manufacturers endeavor to keep the systems businesses and individuals use safe, we can all contribute to the safety by practicing some safe practices. Watch this BBC video to learn more on cyber safety.

For Start-Ups, Scaling Up Can Be Tricky Business

For Start-Ups, Scaling Up Can Be Tricky Business

Business How To’s, , , ,

For Start-Ups, Scaling Up Can Be Tricky Business

When you set out to start your business, the first thought in your mind is to get the idea on its feet. You don’t envision beyond the present; and the future, the changing scale of operations and the potential it offers isn’t immediately apparent.

But there comes a time when you see the need to scale up, and to continue doing so. Growth is tricky business. There are short-term goals and long-term ones, and knowing how to prioritize show an enterprise can scale-up efficiently.

  1. Outsource:

You cannot do everything on your own. You have to be willing to outsource. It could be tasks that take up time but are not mission-critical to your business.

  1. Cut Back On IT Costs:

Yes, you need tech, but do you need it all the time? And do you need tech support staff all the time? You can consider a fully-managed cloud service. Or you can access IT assets as and when you require them, eliminating a fixed monthly cost from your expenses.

  1. Understand Automation:

Having asked you to cut down on IT costs, it seems odd that we ask you to understand how technology works. If you can replace a person with automation, maybe it is a good business option. There are several ready programs that can take over tasks like managing your books, tracking appointments, etc.

  1. Hire The Right People:

Small teams are okay if you have the right people in it. They will steer your enterprise along the charted course. They have to believe in your ideas; they need to have ideas of their own; they need to put the growth of the company before their own or yours.

  1. Sharing Space:

Shared office spaces work perfectly if you want to keep your costs flexible, your business model scalable, and your start-up image professional. The environment is conducive enough to work alone or with your core team, brainstorm, or even conduct client meetings – in person or through video conference calls.

Awfis has been offering enterprises the right professional environment, with the flexibility of choosing individual cabins, meeting rooms and pods, as well as fixed and flexible seating options.

Awfis offers exciting, customized and affordable plans to suit your needs – with hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly rental options, depending on your requirement. What’s more, as a member of Awfis, you can avail these services across all cities where Awfis has a presence.

Visit www.https://www.awfis.com/inspiration/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shutterstock_3835072871.jpg.com to know more.