Linus Fernandes

Archive for the ‘Management’ Category

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Leader Or Bully? There are Consequences

In Leadership, Management on May 28, 2012 at 09:38
Bully Advance Screening Hosted by First Lady K...

Bully Advance Screening Hosted by First Lady Katie O’Malley (Photo credit: MDGovpics)

I’ve seen it a thousand times in business—rejection of an idea or a person by virtue of corporate status. The powers that be have authority, so they must be right. Right? Sure, the world’s flat too. What they have is the fraud of authority, the power to be a bully by the virtue of their title. A title, however, makes no one a leader.

It is usually easier to lead with a title than without. Leading without a title is one of the most difficult and courageous things anyone can attempt. Often, leaders without titles arise in the midst of a crisis—a crisis like a bully’s ego trip.

Dealing with a bully is not especially complicated or difficult. It merely takes nerve. If you work for such a person, do not submit. Fight for your dignity. Bullies destroy dignity and they destroy companies. If you are a leader, you must not allow them to operate under you. As a leader you should try to reform the bully—attempt to make a human connection that explains why people deserve respect. If this does not work, then you must fire that person. Bullies set entirely the wrong tone for productivity, passion, and fun. They drain energy.

The funny thing about these tyrants is that when they lie or back stab or threaten, they think that no one else notices. The truth is, everyone notices because these things get around. And so the fraud of authority becomes transparent, a shameless ego trip. Employees obey, but they don’t believe. How can they share the dream of a person they privately loathe? They can’t.

Who are these monoliths—these institutional fascists wallowing in their muck of false glory? They come in all shapes and sizes. All colors and both sexes too. Inevitably what makes them a universal plague on the worker is their bald cruelty. Some do it like smiling assassins—lying to save face while turning the knife in your back. Others are more honest, but just as cruel—shouting you down like a verbal storm trooper. Either way, the mission is to destroy dreams. Dreams and dreamers.

Read more here…

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How to be a Damn Good Developmental Manager

In Leadership, Management on May 23, 2012 at 09:22

How to be a Damn Good Developmental Manager

Have you ever worked for a manager that consistently helped you learn new skills and develop? A manager that took an interest in your career, challenged you to be your best, and believed in your potential to grow?

That’s the kind of manager that most employees want to work for. And if you’re manager, that’s the kind of reputation you should aspire to have.

Why? From a purely selfish perspective, when you develop your employees, they get smarter, more productive, improve their performance, and ultimately, make you look like a genius. It helps with recruiting and retaining the best employees, allows you to delegate so you can focus on what you’re being paid to do, or even take a vacation now and then.

Most importantly, it’s rewarding. It’s what leadership is all about – making a difference in the lives of others.

Most managers have good intentions – they want to be known as a developmental manager – but there’s often a huge gap between the “should do” and the “do”. In many cases, managers just don’t know how.

Here’s how:

Read more here:
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Transparency in Succession Planning: To Tell or Not To Tell?

In HR, Management on May 1, 2012 at 11:22

Transparency in Succession Planning: To Tell or Not To Tell?

“To tell or not to tell”?, now THAT is the question when it comes to succession planning and high potential programs.

I recently attended a talent management networking meeting hosting by PDI Ninth House. It was well attended, with over 100 participants, all responsible for some aspect of talent management. The two presenters had a packed agenda with over 50 slides to get through.

While it was all good and interesting, the part that sparked the most questions and discussions was the section on “transparency”.

At one point, participants were asked to raise their hands if their high potential programs were:

1. Not transparent;

2. Somewhat transparent; or

3. Fully transparent

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Project Evaluation: Making Investments Succeed

In Management, Professional, Program Management, Project Management on February 5, 2012 at 14:25

Accountability. Yes, we’d all like to know who’s accountable.

But that’s a funny word, isn’t it?

After all, isn’t responsibility the same thing?

Or as some smart ass wisely put it, ‘accountability is what’s left when you subtract responsibility’.

(That smart ass is Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education’s Center for International Mobility and author of the book Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?) Read the rest of this entry »


Mentoring

In IT, Leadership, Management, Professional, Thought on December 19, 2011 at 12:35

If mentors and mentees are too similar, there may be little value for mentees in terms of knowledge,awareness or capability due to the lack of ‘stretch’ in the relationship.

If mentors and mentees are too far apart,then there is a risk of scheme breakdown due to a lack of empathy, credibility and motivation in both directions.

Both mentor and mentee gain more from the relationship if the  mentee takes the initiative and if he or she expects developmental (as against directive) behaviours from the mentor.

The more passive the mentee and the more directive the mentor, the less successful the relationship.

Salman Rushdie writes:

Those who do not have the power of the story that dominates their lives—power to retell it, rethink it,deconstruct it,joke about it, and change it as times change—truly are powerless because they cannot think new thoughts.

Mentoring can help us explore our story, think new thoughts and realize a new future. Mentoring gives us an opportunity not to be condemned to repeat our pasts.

Mentoring is essentially a voluntary activity.

Mentoring is for the mentee.Attempts to impose agendas on the mentee result in manipulation and social engineering.

Mentors should reflect on their own ethical approach.References can be both external (e.g. a professional body) and internal (own values, situational).

(Excerpted from Mentoring in Action—A Practical Guide (2nd Edition) [Chapter 1: The Mentoring Framework] by D Megginson,D Clutterbuck, B Garvey,P Stokes and R Garrett-Harris.)

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Dell Hell V: The emails continue…

In India, IT, Management, Professional on October 19, 2011 at 06:14
Dell Logo

Image via Wikipedia

Despite numerous attempts, Dell refuse to refund me the overcharged amount.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

dear rajeshwari,
there is no way i am taking this complaint back.
your explanation and actions are unacceptable.
the memory chip should cost approx. rs. 1000/- in the open market. there is an overcharge of rs. 5000 to 6000 in the service charge.
also, there is the issue of less than prompt service coupled with extreme discourtesy from your staff.
your communication to me does not contain even a hint of an apology.
am i understood?
On Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:35 IST Rajeshwari_SN@Dell.com wrote:
>Dear Mr.Linus Fernandes,
>
>This e-mail is with reference to our last conversation regarding Dell service tag B266S1S. As discussed and suggested, we regret to inform you that we wouldn’t be able to process a refund for the warranty extension as the system was already serviced. Also to keep you updated that we haven’t charged any additional for the motherboard which was never replaced on the system.
>
>Please feel free to contact me for any questions or clarifications on this.
>
>Regards,
>Rajeshwari SN
>Senior Support Resolver
>Dell | Consumer, Small and Medium Business
>
>From: Linus Fernandes
>Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 5:28 PM
>To: SN, Rajeshwari
>Subject: Re: Out of Office: Dell system Service Tag B266S1S
>
>Rajeshwari:
>
>FYI:
>Consumer Complaint filed at: http://www.consumercourtforum.in/f43/dell-india-pvt-limited-51076/
>Linus Fernandes
>
>http://linusfernandes.com
>
>Live life as an exclamation, not an explanation!
>
>
>On 17 October 2011 07:01, Linus Fernandes  wrote:
>Dear Rajeshwari:
>Another point. I am not a small or home business. Merely an individual. Kindly get that across.
>Linus Fernandes
>
>http://linusfernandes.com
>
>Live life as an exclamation, not an explanation!
>
>
>On 14 October 2011 15:14, <Rajeshwari_SN@dell.com<mailto:Rajeshwari_SN@dell.com>> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Thank you for your email.
>
>I will be out of the office during the week ends and have  limited  access to emails.
>I shall respond  to your request once I resume work on Monday.
>
>Wishing you a nice week end!
>
>Best Regards,
>Rajeshwari S N
>Senior Support Resolver
>Dell| Consumer, Small and Medium Business
>Toll Free – 1-800-425-8045
>
>

–

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Dell Hell IV: The misdiagnosis issue–still no refund….

In India, IT, Management, Professional on October 14, 2011 at 14:38

I just got off the phone with Ms. Rajshree SN of Dell India.

The lady refuses to accede to my demand/request for a refund despite my pointing out that the problem was misdiagnosed.

I was then presented with a wrong advice.

I was also made to wait for almost a week before my machine was repaired.

Is this the Dell experience?

Does this include your CSA telling me, “Just do your job.”

Excuse me, ma’am, do I work for you?

Does that money come out of some trust fund that you have set up for yours truly?

Should a customer not expect courtesy from your front end representatives?

Quote of the Day:
It’s not how much you have that makes people look up to you, it’s who you are.
–Elvis Presley, celebrity singer

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