The Hindu Business Line : Look into the true mirror

A common but great frustration in life is that we don't feel understood. "No one seems to really understand our problems, our pain, our wishes, our unique situation," reads `The 7 habits crash course,' in The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make, by Sean Covey, from Simon & Schuster.

The solution to the problem is simple: Listen. "The single most important communication skill you can ever learn is how to listen. Real listening doesn't mean you're just silent, it means that you're actively trying to understand another human being," explains Covey.

"Often we get into trouble because we jump to conclusions without understanding all the details."

One of the six `decisions' that teens need to make is about self-worth. "Healthy self-worth can help you withstand peer pressure; try new things and get to know new people; deal with disappointment, mistakes and failure; and feel loved and wanted."

The social mirror isn't accurate, cautions Covey. "You are so much more than the opinions of others. You are so much more than how you look on the outside."

Instead, get cues from the true mirror, `a reflection of the real you'. Good guidance.

MBA: mane baddhu aaweche

Read about `a woman's adventures in Hindustan Lever's all-boys sales club,' in Earning the Laundry Stripes, by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar, from Rupa (www.rupapublications.com). It begins with `the placement pressure cooker' in IIMC, that is, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. Racy pace and easy writing style of the author takes you through her many experiences in the sales world.

Such as when she is introduced as an MBA to `an old-timer in small-town Gondol'.

The abbreviation is explained in Gujarati as mane baddhu aaweche, meaning `I know better'. Rues the area sales manager (ASM) Manreet: "Such inane situations my male colleagues never encountered. When we swapped notes, it was as if we were doing totally different jobs. I was an engineer, MBA, more qualified than some of my batch-mates, yet authority, an ASM's title-right, was proving elusive."

A book with WMD — `winning mantra for distribution'!

Tailpiece

"The ad in the boarding pass says, `Draft your resignation letter while on board. Yahoo! is hiring'."

"Draft... don't mail it off!"

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

D. Murali