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StrengthsEdge Organizations

Outstanding organizations are made by outstanding teams.
And outstanding teams are made of engaged people using their potential to the maximum

We can help you get the best out of your people and turn you into a strengths-based organization by teaching you to recognize and develop talents, and foster a culture of strengths-based collaboration.

Give Your Business the Ultimate Edge

Strengths are good business.
This is why smart businesses focus on finding and nurturing their people’s strengths.
It is what’s best for their bottom line.

Every organization has and will have unique challenges it needs to meet in order to grow and thrive. Unfortunately, time and attention are most often directed at solving immediate problems, instead of looking at the big picture of what causes the most common issues.

From our experience, almost every business issue is a people issue. This is because of the common but mistaken belief that everyone can do anything, if only they tried. As much research shows, this couldn’t be further from truth.

The fact is that people work their best when they work at what they do best. Teams which organize themselves around team member’s strengths collaborate to produce superior products and services, and are more productive and proactive in anticipating and responding to crises.

Investing a small amount of time in training managers and employees to recognize and develop strengths yields potentially limitless returns in performance and efficiency.

We can help you by designing a customized on-site workshop that transforms your organization to run on strengths.

Take the first and most important step in becoming your best.
Contact us for a personalized workshop offering.

The Process

Through pre-workshop interviews and assessments, a highly interactive and customized workshop, and post-workshop review and troubleshooting sessions, we will center you on strengths for the highest levels of performance.

See Benefits from Day One

Our workshops work best for groups of up to 20 people from small to medium-sized organizations looking to solve business challenges and attain exponential growth

Increased Sales and Profits

Workgroups that receive strength-based training increase their sales by 10-19% and their profits by 14-29%.*

Higher Productivity

People who know and use their CliftonStrengths are 7.8% more productive in their role.*

Better Employee Engagement

Almost 7 in 10 employees with managers who focus on their strengths are engaged at work.*

Readiness for the Future

More than 90% of the Fortune 500 companies use CliftonStrengths.*

*According to Gallup data

Give yourself an unfair advantage. Learn more about Strengths at NeoSchool

The Power of Strengths: A Case Study

A pioneering boutique turns around sales in cutthroat fashion industry

The Issue

The founders are a dynamic duo with in-depth knowledge of the industry, a clear vision and high expertise in design and sales. However, managing day to day operations drained their energy and caused unnecessary friction

The Resolution

Hiring the right person to manage operations cut their workload by more than half and allowed them to focus on doing what they do best. Sales tripled.

We make going StrengthsEdge simple and practical. Spend what may be the most important 2 minutes on your business by contacting us today.

Lesson Four: Productivity 4.0

Human brain generates any where between 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Some people debate on this number. Whatever may be the number, we do know that our mind is full of thoughts. Unfortunately, most of these thoughts are same repetitive thoughts from yesterday and even more unfortunately, most of these thoughts would be negative thoughts, for most people. So, if our mind is thinking this much unproductive then this will be surely one of the biggest productivity loss. And hence MIND PRODUCTIVITY is very important. That is when my mind popped with the idea that MIND PRODUCTIVITY needs to be part of the Pyramid. This thought came just TODAY MORNING. That is how this new Pyramid is born.

Now our Productivity Pyramid is upgraded to PRODUCTIVITY 4.0

MIND PRODUCTIVITY is not just about thoughts and lot more comes under this area.

We will go little deep into MIND PRODUCTIVITY in the coming blogs then to STRENGTHS and then TASK PRODUCTIVITY.
This blog is very short. I just wanted to introduce 4.0 version picture and leave it there.

My attempt is to come up with ONE INTEGRATED PRODUCTIVITY FRAMEWORK to get all answers related to productivity.
I think this covers all aspects.Do let me know if you think some aspects of productivity are missing. We can explore!!

Lesson Three: Life Productivity

In our Productivity Pyramid , the fundamental building block is LIFE PRODUCTIVITY. I had already written about this topic as a series earlier. Read this completely if you can => LIFE PRODUCTIVITY full series.

In this blog, I want to recap about LIFE PRODUCTIVITY for the people who are not aware about it and also to reinforce the importance of it. In very simple terms LIFE PRODUCTIVITY is all about following LIFE’s BASIC principles.

I have briefly categorised different “BLOCKERS” and “BOOSTERS” under Life Productivity. Click on the ones you are most interested. Ideally you should read complete series to get complete meaning.

BLOCKERS:

BOOSTERS:

I know many people who are very “successful” outside but inside they are hollow or suffering because they carry very disempowering beliefs/ values, negative emotions , egos, identities, etc. I am sure you are aware about such examples. You hear very frequently suicide deaths of “successful” people and also common people. This number is only going increase more and more. Because of mainly two reasons, earlier (relatively) foundation fundamentals were strong and lesser need to be in competitive race of life. But now exactly opposite is happening…people wants shortcuts and overnight success.

The reason why people suddenly collapse from top is because the foundation layer of – LIFE PRODUCTIVITY is missing. And you can only go so FAR without having strong fundamentals. Once you have strong foundation you can decide to build two stairs building or three or four. You can even live happily without building any thing. It is ok. But you build castle without foundation not only you get hurt badly and people around you as well…You have countless examples around you…one person with weak FOUNDATION can destroy the WORLD..

I hope I have nailed down the point..We need to keep strenghtening the FOUNDATION on going basis…

Lesson Two: Productivity Pyramid

Without further explanation or dragging, let me take you into the crux of the topic. Based on all my understanding and observations I came up with this PYRAMID. For me, this concept solves the puzzle of whole productivity. I always felt that TASK based PRODUCTIVITY is INCOMPLETE. I did not knew the answer earlier. And at the same time all the Philosophers & Spiritual leaders talks about some what related to LIFE PRODUCTIVITY. Unfortunate thing is when someone is talking about LIFE PRODUCTIVITY they completely ignore TASK PRODUCTIVITY and vs versa. Point is we NEED BOTH.

Further, I was not very much satisfied with extreme sides of TASK and LIFE alone. LIFE PRODUCTIVITY is nature driven nothing is specific to an individual really. TASK PRODUCTIVITY is operational in nature. There has to be SPECIFIC to Individual Human being. That is when it struck to my mind about “STRENGTH BASED” PRODUCTIVITY.

Is it proven that there are only 3 layers of productivity? Not at all. You can build your own Pyramid. Attempt here is to make you aware about OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY. Once you get the base idea hopefully you will appreciate the HOLISTIC PRODUCTIVITY approach. Then you can expand or enhance the Pyramid based on your own experiences and needs.

We will PEEL all the 3 layers of PRODUCTIVITY in the coming blogs…Until then, reflect and share your feedback on this approach. Hopefully you will find it as NEO..PRODUCTIVITY..

Lesson One: Introduction

In todays busy world, we often hear the words like “stressed out”, “overwhelmed” , “too many things to do”, “exhausted”, ” getting worry/anxious”, “under achievement” …etc list goes on..I some how think all these are indirectly kind of synonym for one thing ..that is = > “NOT PRODUCTIVE ENOUGH”. Most of us are dealing with this problem.

I had completed the previous series on LIFE PRODUCTIVITY which is a kind of core pillar of the productivity. You must read this series without fail for you to be able to appreciate this new series on DECODING PRODUCTIVITY. As I said earlier, while I was writing the LIFE PRODUCTIVITY series, I realised that I need to write the holistic and in detail about PRODUCTIVITY. There are hundreds of books written on this topic all over the world. And now we have hundreds of apps in this area. All these are dealing is actually very tip of the iceberg – just TASK BASED PRODUCTIVITY. Basically this is about how many tasks can you do in given amount of time. TASK BASED PRODUCTIVITY originated in the Industrial Age. We are moving much much rapidly into the world of Digital/Automation/AI based world. And the whole world of freelancers and cheaper labour/sourcing options are becoming available through just few apps..So technically many of the tasks can be automated or outsourced. So what YOU need to do then? Where you need to FOCUS? In fact these are very IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. Reflect deeply.

Prioritisation, To-do lists, time trackers, 4 quadrant time management plans, etc all still required but also kind of OUT DATED..or will be OUT DATED.

You need CUTTING EDGE approach to productivity. This series attempt is to DECODE PRODUCTIVITY in simplified way so that you can deal with all the above synonyms with much more effectively. Follow this series to know the answers.

You Can’t Outsource Your Life

Did you visit any doctor recently for any health issues? What kind of treatment was suggested? Holistic/preventive or more of symptom suppression approach? Do you think doctor is really interested in your health and well-being? Of course, not. Unless you get a Munna Bhai MBBS type of doctor, which is very rare. Why should he take care of your health really? He is there to treat you as per medical procedures. Our fundamental building block of life is health. But why we try to outsource it to a doctor? Why we don’t build basic understanding of health?. Because it is easy to outsource.

What about tax consultant? Is he really interested in giving ideas to save your money and help you create more wealth? He will tell you what is there in book. That is his job. Most wealthy people know better taxation knowledge and loop holes than their consultants. Why because they don’t outsource this fully to someone else. Of course, they take their support but they will lead it.

Did you invest in any insurance policies? What about financial advisers? They will suggest you most of often what will make them wealthy and get more commissions. They are more interested in making their money.

What about your psychologist or coach?. Did you ever visit a psychologist or hired a coach? Of course, you get a lot of benefit and support. But the point is how long? After some time they will tell you that you are fine and you don’t need any help. But inside you will think you need more help. But they will get bored of you. Why do you have to depend on a psychologist or coach for your well-being?

Am I saying you don’t need a doctor, consultant or coach? No. I am saying we need to take real ownership of fundamental areas of life and don’t outsource them. We need not become (and can not be) expert in all areas. Recognize the difference between ownership and expertise. Both are very different.

Running- A Metaphor for Life

Manson & Marathon season is starting. Below blog (Aug 2016) was from my last half marathon experience. Sharing this as reminder and refresher to any running enthusiast. I will publish my new experiences on Aug 20th 2017 after my half marathon.

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Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. –Oprah Winfrey

Last weekend (Aug 28th 2016) , I ran my half marathon. I have been running on and off. I always felt running taught me the real lessons about life and most importantly about self.

At the end of the run, I was not really happy about my overall experience (painful in the last 5 km) and finish timing ( ~ 3 hr). I thought I could finish it with between 2.30 to 2.45 mins (this shows already that I was not very specific about my finish timing goal). Let me tell you what really happened behind the scenes.

Specific Goal: I did not set a specific goal when I started training for this marathon. I did start with a 12 week plan but did not set any goal. I simply thought I would start along the plan and see how it goes. Towards the end of the training (not a consistent one), I thought I some how will/can try to finish the run before 2.45 mins. No, I could not finish because I did not have a clear-cut goal, strategy and a plan. In the first place I did not had the goal !!..This is what happens for most of us in life. We lead the life without any specific goals and then expect life to bring happiness, joy, ecstasy and what not…Why we don’t set a specific goal? We all know that intellectually we should be having specific goals in life. But we don’t. Why?. I think we simply don’t have the habit of setting goals and may be we don’t believe that goals are not required because some how we can manage Run a marathon and you will learn for your rest of life that goals are essential for a happy life.
Consistency: You would have heard this many times that consistency is key to any significant achievements. Yes, this is absolutely true when it comes to consistent training. I did follow some of the weekly runs but I did miss the cross training and interval training. This has clearly resulted in my timing and overall experience. Some times I tried to do longer distances than in the actual plan just to cover my guilt on missing some earlier runs. But this further damages because you are pushing your body beyond and results in injury. Same thing happens in life as well – just to catch up we do some things beyond our limits or capabilities and we fail utterly. So the lesson here is even small effort fine but consistency brings the real power and performance. I some times feel it is better drop the things than doing inconsistently. Because the inconsistency creates more pain at the end !!
What you put what you get: While I was in the training I do know that my speed is picking up and of course this is because I was not doing any of interval trainings. But still I thought I some how will manage and finish the run between 2:30 and 2:45 mins. If I would have accepted my current capability then I would have set my realistic finish expectation of 3 hr (based on my training pace). Then I would have been happy with my performance and overall experience. Very honestly my outcome is exactly based on how I have been training. It is simple – what you put what you get
Honest Assessment of one’s Capability: When I was training I used to look at some of other runners how fast they are able to run. Then at times I tried to push my self. But I learnt this lesson very early on that you pace yourself not with others. Each and every individual is unique. And each person’s capability is different based on genetics, physiology, past athletic training, life style, habits etc etc. You will be in zone and at peace when you operate with your pace. How many times you have seen people trying to compare themselves with others and live a miserable life !!. Be yourself and try to grow continuously at your pace !!. Any other ways will hurt you for sure ..in the long-term.
Get back to the track ASAP: During my inconsistent training, I tried to do some strengthening exercises at a new gym. Without proper ramp up, I tried to do some intense circuit trainings. I hurt my back very badly. I went to physiotherapist and she told me not to run any more. She asked me to take bed rest, only walking, etc etc. I was worried that I have to give up half marathon for this time. I did follow her advice for ten days. After that I have assessed how my body is able to move. I got some hope and slowly got back to running regime. The biggest lesson I have learnt from this experience was if life you will get off the track many times for many different reasons but you should focus on how quickly you come back to that track.

One can learn many many life lessons through running . Above points are key lessons I learnt during this run.

Thank for reading…But reading does not give any real learning. One has to have real experiences for real learnings in life.

Science Behind Addictions

When we hear the word “addiction” we typically think of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc. There are tons of other addictions and most people are unconscious about them or not very visible outside. Let me give you some examples of these not so commonly accepted addictions.

Social Media /Web surfing addiction – Find out exactly how much time you are spending on social media per day/week. And you will realize how much time you end up spending. People who build social media companies knows how to make people addicts and they know the science behind it very well. The more you become addict the more profits companies can make. You know why we keep checking on Facebook who liked your post or what comments people are making about latest selfie?

Addiction for praise – I am sure you know people who will do any thing for you if you flatter them. Why? Because they are addicted to your praise. We tend to say these are “nice people” and helping nature etc. If the intent is purely based on help then it is fine. But if you are craving for the praise then it is an addiction. This is one of the reason why companies have “reward” systems in place. If you more focused on the reward than the actual work then it can become an addiction.

Food Addiction –This is very interesting. And most people know about this addiction. Especially we have interesting names for this addiction -” Sweet tooth”. I don’t know who has invented this word. I am sure the guy who has sugar addiction would have invented this word. Some people say “I am foodie..”. What? If you look at his/her plate most probably he will be consuming huge amount carbs and sugars. Actual food addiction is largest problem in most countries which leads to health and psychological issues. Based on this addiction whole food industry is growing. Compare to the number of people who smoke we would have more number of people who have food addiction problems

High Achievement Addiction – We give great respect for people who are very hard working and achieve big outcomes. They would have started with small tasks/projects then take up bigger and bigger projects and eventually run a large organization/vision/build a big enterprise, etc. Why take up bigger and bigger challenges/goals? . Because they addicted to the “kick”.

Running Addiction – Why people start with 5K and go up Ultra marathons and Iron Man races. We look at them think they are crazy and we don’t understand why they take such a pain to run marathons. They keep raising the bar because they are addicted for “Runners High” – nothing but addiction to feel good chemicals in brain called Endorphin.

While addiction example # 4 and # 5 are supposed to “good addictions”, any extreme level can cause imbalance in life. The point here is not about good or bad addiction. Addiction is an addiction and we must be aware about it and based on personal interest you can keep pushing forward the good addictions. But the main problem is with the examples like # 1,2 & 3.

Why some people are more addicts than others? Here is the main reason for this. People who have lesser Dopamine in their brains tend to have more addiction problems. What is Dopamine? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for reward and pleasure system. So what you do if you have lesser Dopamine and have addiction issue? Simple move away from bad addictions to good addictions. This is the reason if you want to lose weight then you need to exercise more (not because of the calorie burning alone) but because you are changing the one pathway (negative) to another (positive) path to fulfill the same Dopamine.

Bottom line is list down all your addictions and segregate them into negative and positive. And simply make more of positive addictions and automatically we will have less room for the negative addictions.

Build Your Own -ism

Other day I was talking to some one and suddenly he started talking very emotionally about some guru he follows and I started sharing some thoughts on the role model I like. I notice now a days ( it is there ever since) people split into groups based on the guru/path they follow and they promote their guru and talk about why other guru’s approach is not good. Isn’t it funny that it negates the whole purpose of “spiritualism”? It is not funny to me.Here is why…

Every ism is born out of some specific individual’s pain or deep realization.

—> Buddha said life is pain, misery and suffering. Why? Because he had experienced or felt that . So out of the pain he came with Buddhism after deep reflection. But if you have not had experienced that kind of pain would you be able to connect to Buddhism?
–> Osho said life is bliss and joy. His fundamental preaching is based on freedom and love. But if you are currently suffering then you can’t relate to what Osho is talking about.

Hindhuism, Communism, Naxalism, objectivism, Pawanism, Ramuism, etc. every ism is born out of specific situation and context. So no ism is right or wrong and every thing is context driven. Next time don’t argue about your favorite ism.

And how do we chose a particular ism ?. You chose any thing in life based on what you like and your value/belief system then we try to justify it back why certain ism is good. So what is the problem? There is no problem if you have chosen your ism consciously instead of parents, environments or just because every follows that particular ism. Do you know any why some people change gurus or isms and shop around? May be because of unconscious selection.
Best thing would be don’t just follow some ism blindly and build your own ism so that you can do exact customization for your DNA and most importantly it will make you super man (internally).

Know Thyself! But How?

“Know Thyself” – from Socrates to your spouse to swami ji and every one tell you “Know yourself”. I never understood this well. If someone is talking about this from spiritual angle, then it is different from what your spouse or someone else meant. Here I will be talking about from the context of knowing your core personality.

My understanding of about “Know yourself” has the following components:

Values: What are values? Values are nothing but some core beliefs you hold for yourself. Based on these beliefs you define everything else in life. For e.g if you believe freedom is essential for living then freedom becomes one of the core value. If you firmly believe person should live honestly then honesty will be your core value. Based on these values you judge everything including yourself. So, it is very important to know your core values because these will be anchors for your life. Google on “how to discover your personal values” or “”how to know your personal values” you get some tools and tips on this. Get a list of your core values. Any time you deviate from your core values then you experience pain and when you live in sync with your values then you will be happy ( in fact joyfully .

Personality Profile: Personality profile will provide a holistic view of person’s behaviors, feeling, emotions, strengths, etc. There are different types of personality profiling tools available. My most favorite are MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and DISC profiling tests. You can do most of these tests online for free. And, horoscope is also kind of personality profiling but it depends upon whether you believe in it or not.

Personality profiling will give you very fair idea about who you are as a person overall.

Strengths: Even though personality profile provides good idea on your overall personality, I personally think knowing strengths/talents very specifically will help you in career decisions and in many other decisions. Gallup’s Strengths FINDER is the best tool available to decode your core strengths within 30 mins. This is not a free test but I strongly recommend you to buy this and do the test.

In summary, knowing yourself is very essential to gain clarity about yourself and it provides a sense of direction to your life. Otherwise, you will be living in a puzzle !!