Get ready to take the plunge!

Work has invaded our personal lives and balancing the demands of a busy lifestyle is not an easy thing to do. A culture of ‘all work and no play’ causes high stress levels and cuts time spent with loved ones and creates an inability to switch off from work. But in the hustle bustle of everyday life, it is best managed if we take a break sometimes.  

When we take a break, we're not shirking responsibility; we're taking care of ourselves so that we will have the stamina to be our best. 

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The amount of stress that one undergoes does take a toll on our lives, mentally as well as physically. A holiday with your friends & family helps in relieving this stress and leaves us feeling rejuvenated. Another alarming fact that is raising concern is how the time we spend with our family is reducing. I, for one, do not get to spend as much quality time as I would like to, with my family. My family helps me stay grounded and the little while that I get to spend with them is priceless. So I do make it a point to take at least one with the family, if not two, in a year.

There are so many people who say, “I don’t need a holiday. My official trips are more than enough for me to relax.” Moreover, it’s the time factor that really hits us at times, and we feel like we cannot, under any circumstances, take an off from work. What we tend to forget is that we are entitled to a certain amount of leaves. The deadlines and heavy work load makes us oblivious to the break we deserve.

Many issues that we face at home as well as in office are due to the kind of hectic lifestyles we lead.

The famous saying “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”, should ideally be incorporated in all our lives. Our performance at work is, in many ways, related to the kind of lives we live. The more we strain ourselves at work, the less productive we will be. There’s a right amount of balance between work and personal life that needs to be maintained.

The simplicity of life away from the city madness is something that we all need to experience in life. Getting back to our roots is another way of rediscovering ourselves. The more time we spend swamped in work, the less we learn about ourselves.

Lead me to the Boss!

Working under somebody can always be stressful; it just depends on whom we are working for. We all find ourselves working for someone or the other in life and the experience depends on whether it is a boss or a leader.

When I was younger, the thought of confronting my boss brought a chill up my spine. I swore to myself that when I will be on the other side of the desk, I will make sure that I can do something to make others feel comfortable. I find being a leader rather than a boss, is far more beneficial, not only to me but my contemporaries as well.

Making them feel as part of a team, gives them the sensitivity of having a greater responsibility in the organization and also reduces my stress levels as the entire burden isn't on my shoulders alone. More than profits, it is your organizations’ human factor that is more valuable. Being a “Boss” can create a gap between you and your colleagues and you must strive to bridge that gap as much as possible. Make sure to instill trust and not fear in them.

Let me share a few tell-tale signs of a leader & a boss.

1. First way for differentiation could be the way how the employees greet the person - The Boss is greeted with a smile. The employees either become straight and stiff or tend to hunch a bit (more like a distant cousin of a bow). Though this may look like respect, it’s not. It is fear. While the Leader is also greeted with a smile, the atmosphere is much more relaxed. This is admiration & respect, which is what you do want!
2. The look on the person's face as he moves around the office - A stern, decided, on-a-mission works well to encourage the team to be go-getters. But a Boss will always overdo it. While it is good to be determined, you must let yourself interact with the team as well. A Leader will make sure to stop by at a colleague’s desk to not only inquire about the work progress but also about things other than work. This is where you connect.
3. Do you guide or do you 'master' - A Boss gives tasks. A Leader asks you to achieve goals and uses terms like “our goals”, “we can and will achieve”.
4. Finding the faults - We all tend to lose our tempers sometimes. The leaders do too. But how to convey that to your employees and how you make them rise out of it is what counts. A Boss will scream at the employee and might also mention “pink-slips” at the drop of a hat. A Leader, though may lose his/her cool at times, will make sure that the employee understands 1) the reason behind the mistake and 2) also suggests a solution for it. Everyone makes mistakes, but as a leader you have to turn that into learning for your team.

Each and every individual in an office, starting from the guard at the gate, to the youngster stuck to his computer screen in his cubicle to the top most management busy with their never-ending meeting schedules, all form a very vital part of an organization. Each one deserves the respect they are entitled to. 

There have been instances, where individuals have gone into depression because of the treatment by their bosses.  It not only tarnishes their name but the name of the organization as well.

The number of CEO’s adopting the ideologies of a leader is increasing tremendously. Coaching employees through an assignment reaps greater benefits than criticizing the employees. Employees don’t need a person of whom they are scared; they need a guide & a mentor.

The joy of running an organization is not in bossing people around but watching them grow into better individuals under your leadership.

Time to battle the unfair means!

To get a driver's license, what you have to encounter is nothing short of a license raj- taking into consideration the slow proceedings which are, at times, marred by corruption. At least that is the general perception about the Transport Department of Delhi. However on the contrary, I had a fairly good experience the last time I visited one of these offices.

Where people usually say that getting a driving license is not an easy task, I believe if one fulfills the criteria set by the Government, it won’t seem like a herculean task. Due to increase in the number of drunken & underage driving accidental cases across India, the process of acquiring a license has to be more strict and rigorous.

This is of course one such example, but with time I have been witness to many changes in the Government organizations. We all can observe the change in the workings of various governmental bodies if only we remove the elements of pre-judged assumptions from our mind. From standing in long queues for hours on end, to sitting for a written test and further appearing for a driving test, the usual process has become longer and tedious.  But at least it is way better than bribing a tout and getting the license even without taking a test. The process though seems long, but we fail to acknowledge that the more thorough the procedure, the better the chances of a clean system being prevalent.

Recently when I had gone to get a new photo identity card, I ensured to undertake the correct steps as usual, even though the process was time consuming. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I no longer needed to wait for long neither was there any back & forth trips to the various desks. It made me wonder, now that the processes are becoming smoother with time, this should definitely encourage people to take the correct route rather than the “shorter” route of taking favors. Every citizen must undergo the crucial process involved and refrain themselves from taking up the simpler path as it further complicates the situation.

To resolve the problem and make things easier, people consider that bribery is the only solution. They are ready to shell some extra money at the cost of correct functioning of the system. The system has been digitized and new training and testing facilities are being implemented that will facilitate in speeding up various procedures of these organizations. I strongly believe that no compromises should be made when it comes to contributing to the development of our nation.

I have seen various steps towards changes over the past few years, but there is still a lot to be achieved as the world cannot change overnight. But it is up to us to undertake the responsibility; after all we must be the change we want to see in the world.  

They want action! They want results!

Outspoken, technology-dependent, easily influenced, materialistic – this is how the media and society at large usually describe the current generation of young adults in India. They might be right to some extent, but there’s an alternate side to this younger generation – they’re courageous and purposeful. And hungry for change!

Media’s portrayal of youth, more often than not, settles around the areas concerned with increasing violence and crimes across the country. But it at times fails to showcase the path that the youth is taking to bring about a change in the society.  

India’s population today stands at 1.25 billion with 54% in the 25 year age bracket; certainly everything is not as gloomy as it is made out to be.

Invigorating and inspiring times provide ample opportunities for individuals to use their inner strength to maximum potency. With the ‘I-can-do’ attitude of today’s youth, achieving dreams is no longer a distant goal for them. If one has to look at growth and development in our country, the credit has to go to the youth, for they have been fighting all odds to make it to the top. The young men and women have always taken a step forward in addressing challenges of national concern irrespective of the returns they may anticipate.

The world witnessed the aftermath of the gruesome gang-rape of physiotherapist in Delhi. Screaming at the top of their voices, battling the lathi charge, braving the water cannons, enough and more campaigns and protests were led by the fearless young who shook the nation and the people in power.

Also, looking at India’s many progressive industries namely IT, infrastructure, retail and real estate that are leading the world by example, youth definitely is the backbone of our future economy, global presence and political stability.

The youth of our country shall also be considered as being the agents of change. They set the catalyst effect which propels the governments of any time and location to tremble and set their focus back on the future of the country. They have been very responsible in situations that are critical and tough which require national level attention.

In a sense, I’m counting on the youth of today. I believe that their actions will have consequences. Their efforts will make a difference.

To quote American president Franklin D Roosevelt, “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”

Are You Investing Wisely?

Owning a house is a dream shared by millions in our country, starting from the middle class to the super rich. Of course, the magnitude and the size of owning a property might differ, but the emotion behind the thought remains the same. In today’s scenario, a majority of property buyers opt for a home loan to fund their first homes in India. So once the decision of owning a dream house is made, then the next step of the process of applying for a home loan begins. Ensuring that every aspect is taken care of and then subsequently comparing your decision with the trends prevailing in the real estate market is a hard task.  Many things have to be taken into account such as - the current rate of interest on home loans, impending hike/ fall in interest rates.

Inflation plays a pivotal role in driving the interest rates up or down. This further drives the home loan rates. A rising inflation rate tends to increase the rates on loans. The cost of funds for banks increases, which further leads to an increase in home loan base rates, along with other loan rates, and consequently a raise in EMIs.

Additionally, the rapid increase in interest rates impacts existing loans in one of two ways – either the loan installment (EMI) goes up or the tenure of the loan (in months) increases, keeping the EMI installment constant. For some borrowers, the increase in installment can prove to be too high which could cause them to tip over and default. This holds true for those borrowers who have low incomes, given the inflation in food and various other household products. Thus, the higher interest rates can in turn precipitate non-payment amongst those borrowers who were good up until now.

New buyers must take time before deciding on the home loan plan - fixed or floating loan rates. This is important, in case they choose a fixed rate it would be beneficial in case of rising interest rate expectation and the opposite holds true for floating rates. Also, individuals tend to wait for the interest rates to come down and postpone their buying to lock in good rates.

However, many banks do not always pass on the benefits of a falling interest rate to an existing borrower but would always increase the interest rates overnight. Interestingly a bank always focuses more on acquiring a new customer at a cheaper rate than incentivizing an existing customer. This is because once the home loan borrower has been locked at a particular rate, any exit options comes at a cost to the bank which is wholly passed on to the borrower. This can get tricky for the non-savvy borrowers. New investors must be wary of such gimmicks and thoroughly weigh options which suit their needs and budget and take into account increasing interest costs.

I always believe that it is personally better to go with floating rates especially when the government is able to rein in inflation to less than 6% and thus brings down the base lending rates to banks, which further passed on to the borrowers just as quickly. That would be the best for everyone but somehow, I don’t see that happening very often. And like the rest, I am happy to have a house in the end, despite the bureaucratic stigma of Interest rates and never ending EMI’s.