The Hindu Business Line : 13 steps to write right and 36 great expectations

CHECKLISTS and questionnaires are nothing new for students of accountancy and auditing because much of their work revolves around all these `whether' questions that the profession itself is sometimes called `whether reporting'.

So, if you were to ask them to draw up a checklist to verify stock, value inventory, file a return, book a ticket, cook an account or arrange an event, they should be able to put their expertise to good use.

How about a checklist to help you be a better leader? Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman have the answer in Smart Moves for People in Charge, from Magna Publishing (www.magnamags.com). The book has not one but 130 checklists for the purpose and "answers the big questions for people with big responsibilities".

Here, you will find 14 strategies to make better decisions, 16 ways to get more from your business trips, 64 business terms to have on the tip of your tongue, 13 steps to write right, 12 ways to send powerful nonverbal messages, nine sensible ways to socialise with employees, 11 ways to inspire ethical conduct, 13 steps to delegate effectively, 10 tips for improving communications with your board, 12 ways to improve your listening, 18 tips for conducting a selection interview, 36 great expectations to have of subordinate managers, 13 ways to get employees to keep you informed, and so on.

Professionals such as CAs who no longer work in that field wonder if it is necessary to keep the organisation's membership. Keep it alive, say the authors. "You'll receive newsletters, announcements, and other information you can use for networking or business purposes. And you never know when you might want to become active in that profession."

For those who believe in MBWA (that is, managing by wandering around), there are 12 guidelines. Such as: Go by yourself, ask questions, watch and listen, share your dreams with them, bring good news. Try out their work, have fun, catch them in the act of doing something right and so forth.

Now, if you are keen on reading the book, there are four ways you can go about.

Go, go, go

JOBS are tight and managers lack the time for mentoring. In such circumstances, how can you maintain positive energy? Peter B. Kyne solves the problem through a story he tells in The Go-Getter, from Westland Books P Ltd (ewb@vsnl.com).

The book was first printed in 1921 and has sold half a million copies since then. Its message is simple — `rekindle the go-getter in you'.

As boxers aim at the belt, a blue vase in the company is the trophy for which the hero of the story aims at. "You never know when you'll get the test of the blue vase, but you should treat every project as though it is the blue vase."

The author draws the analogy of war. "Battle is probably the only leadership environment in which both followers and leaders would rather be somewhere else, but, unfortunately business can often feel remarkably like a battle. Successful combat leaders help those they lead to perform at almost superhuman levels of productivity."

Not infrequently, bosses are perceived to be dumb. No, they aren't, says the book. "Every boss keeps a mental tally of your successes and your failures. Three strikes is usually all it takes to lose someone's confidence and trust, whether your supervisor's, your customers', your colleagues', or your own. It is impossible to keep track of your strikes unless you know, exactly, what counts as a strike and what counts as a foul. Be careful not to let one strike — or even two — destroy an otherwise strong batting record."

Also, remember that go-getters are not marked by "hesitation, dragged feet, or lowered goals."

Go get it!

War on `please'

THIS is about a disease that affects too many: The Disease to Please. Harriet B. Braiker's book, from Tata McGraw-Hill (www.tatamcgrawhill.com), is about what starts as a difficulty, innocently enough.

"But this seemingly harmless passion to always be `nice' — to put others first and to please them compulsively even at the expense of your own health and happiness — can rapidly spiral into a serious psychological syndrome with far-reaching physical and emotional consequences," warns the author.

There is a `true or false' quiz to screen readers and to check if you test positive. "I believe that nothing good can come from conflict," "I rarely delegate tasks to others," "I have always needed the approval of other people," and "it makes me very anxious and uncomfortable to say or do anything that might make another person angry with me" are among the questions.

`Please' may be one of the most-used words, but it is distorted thinking that ensnare people-pleasers to have a self-defeating mindset.

"People-pleasing is a sweet-sounding name for what, to many people, is a serious psychological problem." And it could turn from being compulsive to addictive, if you didn't notice and correct. The theory that by being nice you can avoid being rejected is also flawed: "You may be the nicest person alive, and somebody out there won't like you — maybe precisely because you're so darned nice."

Then, there are the martyrs who believe that they can make friends by being holier-than-thou. "When you constantly give of yourself to friends and family and do not permit others to give back to you in return, you actually are being manipulative and rejecting, whether you intend to be or not. Your motives become suspect."

Here is some useful thought about anger: "Anger can be appropriately expressed and healthy for you and your relationships. It is necessary and constructive to the maintenance of good relationships to express your anger clearly, firmly, and directly."

A book that can help you put `please' under `R.I.P'.

Master the words

WORDSTAR, WordPerfect and Word. Here comes WordMaster, `the new dictionary for the new millennium' from Orient Longman P Ltd (www.orientlongman.com).

It is more than a book of words, and more than a `meaning-finder', says the back cover. Among its key features are illustrative sentences, inclusion of recent usage, special guidance-alert on language that is not respectful and so on. "Convenience, rather than comprehensiveness, has been the goal," explains the preface.

"The simplest and most basic information on grammatical usage has been provided, to understand which no specialised knowledge is required." Gender-sensitive words that are offensive — such as `doll' or `sissy' — are marked `G' in a black circle.

Likewise, there are other `stylistic' labels such as `derogatory' (example, facile), `approving' (perfectionist), `disapproving' (churn out), `old-fashioned' (array), `literary' (azure) and so forth. Here are some `use in sentences': "Axe: As the company has no money to pay the workers, 300 jobs are going to be axed. Compute: We need to compute how much money we have to pay as rent. Hiatus: The party has come back to power after a hiatus of six years."

Check if you know these words: Yippee is a cry expressing great happiness; tripe is writing or talk of extremely poor quality; squib is a kind of fire-cracker that hisses before producing a loud sound or a bright light; pulsar is a very small star that sends out radio waves; and fudge is a kind of soft sweet.

Take it easy

MEDITATION lowers BP, slows the heartbeat and brainwave patterns, decreases oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide elimination, reduces the amount of lactic acid in the body, and improves circulation.

But it is tough, you would protest. No, says Greer Allica in Meditation is Easy, a book from Penguin (www.penguinbooksindia.com). Is it a right or left brain activity, if you wonder, the author answers that meditation balances and centres so that neither brain hemisphere dominates.

"The perceptive, intuitive, encompassing right brain functions together with the rational, analytical, dissecting left brain." So, I shut my eyes, and do a rewind to live past memories? No, "the more you practise meditation, the more fully you will experience each moment. You will be entirely in the present, without distraction."

Do I hand myself over to a guru? "You are in charge of your mind; it doesn't control you. Begin to monitor what you are thinking. Own your thoughts and know that you can change them. You can choose to have positive, uplifting thoughts or negative, judgmental thoughts."

What is the one way of doing it? "There is no single way to meditate. You must find the way that suits you — the easiest way."

Tailpiece

"Yesterday's foes are today's allies."

"And today's allies?"

"Would be tomorrow's defectors."

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

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