Resisting Salespeople

 Call centres have made this a level playing field. Sales calls are as much a woman-thing as it was a man- thing. Anyway, how to resist them on phone calls is the subject.

Say 'Wrong number."

Listen for the pitch and cut the call.

Listen, and say a polite, "Not interested." Then cut the call. 

Ask some stupid question, or say something unintelligible, and cut the call.

Most interesting of all- Don't pick the call, if it says it's likely to be a junk call. Thank your software that figures this out. Technology does have its uses. Sometimes.

Mails are easier. You know they are junk when you see them.

You are welcome. I know you want to thank me.

On Handling the Non-routine

It is very important to learn how to handle the unexpected, non-routine situations in life. Let me try and illustrate.

There are many things we expect, or even take for granted. Simple example- we expect parents to be around for a long time. Suppose one of them is absent, or passes away early, what are you supposed to do?

You fail in a class/course. What next?

Your spouse threatens to walk out of your love marriage...?

You are fired. From your job. Much more common in the U.S., now the fever is catching on in India.

Your aspirations to get into a program, a course, a sports team, are not fulfilled.

You are broke, because of over-using your credit cards/taking on too many loans.

Many of these situations can seem nerve-racking, or worse. More so because nobody told you this could happen to YOU. How you deal with these may be vital to your well-being. Of course, in all these situations, it helps to have someone like a mentor, or a friend to talk to. But I know of lots of people who have faced one of the situations described here, and come out looking good, in control, after the immediate trauma had passed. There are many different ways of coming back, including finding alternative avenues to engage onself, or starting off on a new hobby, or just taking a break to think things through.

My leadership stint also taught me that work-related situations can get sticky, and need careful handling. They can cause trauma to others, and therefore, being thoughtful rather than hastily "fixing" things is a useful way to approach things. 

How to Tackle Bosses

I am now into consulting for The Greater Good. I am kicking this off with a simple manual on How to Tackle Bosses- one of the most vexing issues for inexperienced young people taking their baby steps into corporate life. No, you don't owe me. This is purely for society's greater good.

1. Flatter him/her. This can take a frontline worker in any department and make him/her a unit head faster than a Porsche can go from 0-100 kms.

2. Arrive at work just before he does, and leave just after. Works wonders, and results in quick promotions.

3. Ask him for advice on inconsequential matters. Everyone likes to be seen as a wise guy (in the positive sense), and this will create a good impression. The complicated stuff, you can decide for yourself-you don't want him to screw that up!

4. Report regularly to him on what you have been doing. This can be a mix of 40% reality and 60% fiction, but realistic fiction. This helps to create an impression that you believe in hierarchy and discipline-virtues for an infant in corporate-dom.

5. Volunteer for any committee, task force or project team for which he calls for volunteers. Chances are, you won't have to do anything. You can think of excuses at leisure, because he will have moved on to his next pet theme by the time you were expected to deliver something.

You may contact me for some more tips. And it will help if you say that these worked!