Starting A New Job? Don't Just Show Up - Prepare To Stand Out!

First days are always overwhelming. If you've joined a new job recently, you know how it feels to be a completely new to an unknown place with no friends, confusing floor plans, new faces, and different management and working styles. Compound that with the fact that almost every company in today's world has a relatively high turnover, putting the people who have been at the company on edge (For example, per Business Insider, as of 2013, Google has a median tenure of 1.1 years).

You are the fresh blood being infused in the company, in a team, and the expectation is for you to be a "go-getter." And no one knows you. And you know no one. This can be overwhelming, and extremely stressful.

There are so many articles and blog posts that talk about how to prepare for an interview. No one is talking about what to do next. Just show up? No - you can do better! You can stand out from the crowd; you can gain momentum fast, infact, even on your first day, IF you are prepared. Having been through a few 'first days' myself, here's what I recommend on how to prep:

A FEW DAYS BEFORE JOINING THE JOB:

1. Job Description & Interview Notes:  Re-read your job description. When you read it initially, it was for interviewing purposes, so your context was different. You read it with a mind set of 'how would I respond to the responsibilities listed'. Now read it in context of 'how will I satisfy these responsibilities'.
   
   In conjunction, read the interview notes you took, type them up and organize them by job responsibilities.
   
   Create an org-chart.
2. 90-Day Plan: Take a stab at a 30-60-90-day plan. People who interviewed you told you all the problems they are trying to solve - the reason why they are even talking to you. Rank the problems, write down your solution to the problems, and be ready to meet with your manager to review the plan. It may all change, it may become invalid on day 2, but now you have accomplished 2 goals:
• You have started internalizing the problems and got your mind working on the solutions.
• You will demonstrate to your new management that you are someone who takes initiative. You will stand out from the crowd.
  
  (Pro Read: Many moons ago, I read the Michael Watkins book The First 90 Days (2003 edition) - when I read it, it was already obsolete - something I didn't realize at the time, so I went in to my job thinking I had 90 days to get my act together. Fifteen days in, I realized I had already lost the time to get it all together. Michael Watkins published an updated version - which I haven't read, but I am assuming it addresses the challenges I faced)
  
3. LinkedIn is your friend: Use LinkedIn to research each member of your team, your manager, your peers, and your directs. Jot down, not their skill set as much as their traits. Read the recommendations, which will tell you what makes them tick. Have that portfolio handy.  

DAY 1:

Ah the day is finally here! Nervous energy mixed with excitement, mixed with confidence - its a cocktail for exhaustion - pace yourself. Once you settle in your chair, next step is to figure out the answer to the following questions (use this as a checklist):

GETTING STARTED:

1. Do you have a project/body of work ready to go?
2. Who will you be working with? 
3. What stage is the work at?
4. What are the deadlines?
5. What is the budget?
6. How much of the budget is remaining?
7. Do the deadlines and the remaining budget feel realistic to you? 
8. Is your draft org chart accurate?
9. Do you have a meeting setup with your boss?
10. Is the expected method of communication formal or informal?

LOGISTICS:

1. Where's the bathroom? 
2. Where does your boss sit? 
3. Where does your team sit?
4. What do you need in your space to make you more efficient and motivated (plants, water bottle, family pictures, coffee mug, pens, papers, pencils, markers, highlighters, stapler etc.)
5. Who holds the key to the supplies (is it help desk, is it someone's assistant)?
6. Where's the coffee?
7. Where's the cafeteria?
8. Where's the vending machine?
9. Where are the conference rooms?
10. How do you book meetings/conference rooms?

Once you know the answers to the 20 questions up above (and obviously feel free to add more to your personal list), you will be ready to take off! 

Remember - everyone feels lost or overwhelmed, but you wouldn't be there if they didn't want you, and if you didn't like the job, so get organized, stay focused, and get going! 

The better you are prepared, the less time it will take for you to become a productive member of the team. 

Good Luck!

Weight Loss... Simplified!

Wow - I haven't published a post in a LONG time... a whole year to be exact. Well, I was busy losing some weight, so excuse me while I eat my celery. Not exactly.

I lost 35 lbs in about a year, which nets out to about 3 lbs a month, going from pant size 42+ to size 32. A year ago, I couldn't dream of fitting in any clothing that had the word "skinny" or "slim fit" next to it. Infact, my turning point came when I tried to button a brand new shirt I had bought a few months before, and to my dismay, couldn't. I went home that day and looked at all my clothes, and realized that I had belts ranging from size 32 to size 46, and every time I got bigger, I'd just go out and buy new clothes. That was the day of epiphany for me.

What followed was a few weeks of figuring out what to do. There are a million diet programs out there (Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig etc.), gyms enticing you to join to lose weight, Bowflex-type infomercials where they tell you how someone lost 100 lbs in 30 days by exercising 15 minutes a day, pills, powders, rollers and doctors running their own side business touting how their patients lost weight to become and look sexy - and it is all very confusing.

Many have asked "how'd you do it?" "Did you go to the Gym?" "Did you starve yourself?" "Is you wife not feeding you anymore...?"

I generally don't answer these questions (except for the one where I tell them that my wife actually makes me cook, so I end up starving) - quite frankly, I think most people want the hear the answer but assume they are not being given the whole story.

Then there's the other matter of other desis saying things like "you need to be healthy" (translation: We like our men fat).

Well, here's the truth - I am about to "give away the secret".

Basically, it is a game of simple mathematics. And you don't even have to be good at it. Everyone's body needs x amount of calories to survive. Just survive. You wake up, you sit on your ass, you go to sleep. It's called BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Whatever. If you actually get up off your ass, walk around, maybe even trek to work or school - your body needs BMR + the energy you spend on these activities. That is the amount of energy your body actually needs. If you eat that amount of energy (and yes, all food can be calculated in energy, its called Calories), you will stay at your current weight. If you eat more energy than you spend, your body will store it somewhere (hence resulting in weight gain). If you eat less energy than you spend, your body will need to make up that energy from somewhere within - and it will look towards the energy reserves you already have (sugar, fat, muscle), resulting in you getting thinner.

That is it. That is the key. There is a lot of hocus-pocus around this because Weight Loss is a $20 Billion industry, with over 100 Million people trying to lose weight, and if they all simply just explained this to you, you'd be doing it on your own, and they'd lose revenue!

To prove this point, let's look at Weight Watchers -
They have a point system. The number of points you can eat is based on your weight, goal, sex and age - the same exact parameters used to calculate how much energy (calories) you should be eating. THEN comes the marketing - they have celebrities telling you how amazing the program is. They have foods you can eat (laced with chemicals btw). So you spend money on their membership, their foods, and are afraid to eat anywhere else. They give you one day to eat whatever  you want - and call it a CHEAT day. Really?

Think about it for a second - eating whatever you want is called cheating. Which means, staying with them and on their program is the only reliable way for you to lose weight. Make it RAINN!

All they have done is convert the energy formula to points, and sold you a lump of coal. Now you are dependent on them and their program, their foods, and their marketing. And for that, you pay your hard earned cash.

And oh by the way, your life style has not changed at all. You become a repeat customer. Mission Accomplished.

Weight loss is not about a short term goal, its about changing your lifestyle. Its about getting into new habits, its about eating like a normal human being, but knowing what goes in, must go somewhere.

Once you figure that out, the rest is easy (well, easier).

Go Ahead... Stuff your Face this Holiday Season

I have heard this so many times that I figured it is worth a thought... "It's the holidays. I am going to put on so much weight," or "I gotta join the gym... after the holidays to get back to my pre-holiday weight."

Really?

So basically what you are saying is that you will mess with your physical being, your energy, and your metabolism because you have the need to stuff your face.

I understand it is hard to control yourself when its all there in front of you, when there are chocolate baskets everywhere around the office, when people are in happier mood and tend to bring in more snacks than usual (translation: left over stuff they don't want their families eating), when a vendor sends that basket of fine Godiva goodness, and since your boss can't take it home, they put it out for the team. But where's your control? Where's your "I probably should not eat the entire bar of chocolate after a full lunch" instinct.

Don't have one? Fine. Here are some tips:

If You Really Wanted It...: Admit it. If it wasn't the holidays, and you were craving chocolate, you'd just go and buy a chocolate. And you'd enjoy it more. You have the access and the means. Sure, it will cost you $3.99 to get that giant bar of Godiva (Source: Godiva), but if you are craving it, it will become a treat. And since you will be spending $3.99, you will think twice, and will look at the nutrition factors (and realize that each serving is 220 calories) and hopefully not buy it.
Yes, the one in front of you is free, but free doesn't mean you have to put it in your body. But hey - go ahead, eat the whole thing. Then go out and jog to burn it off (it generally takes a 150 lb person 27 minutes of jogging to burn 220 calories... jus' saying).

Drink Water: Water makes you feel full. And water helps curb cravings. And water is good for you. So drink water. Take a sip - it will do you good.

Eat Before you Go: Going to a party? Eat at home. Yes, it is counter intuitive, but when you eat at home, you will think about what you are eating, you will not (hopefully) stuff your face with deep fried foods, and hence end up eating healthy. When you get to the party, you won't be starving, which will help you curb your intake.

Don't Follow the Crowds: People go to weddings and parties, and line up for food. As if, that's the only opportunity they will get to eat any food for the week. Chill out. Nurse that drink a little longer - when you have been standing in line for a longer period of time, you tend to over-fill your plate. After all, who wants to come back and stand in line again?
Stop it. You are not a pirate out for loot - there's plenty of food. And even if you don't eat much at the party, you will eat better and in a more measured way when you get home anyway. So chill, relax, enjoy your drink, and let the crazies attack the food.

If all else fails and you just end up eating till you are ready to throw up, don't pretend like you care about the calories. Don't say stuff like "oh man, this is so bad. I really shouldn't be eating this" while stuffing your face. Just eat it. Enjoy it. No regrets. You can always up the pants size.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothes - Agile-ish Waterfall? Or is it Waterfall-ish Agile?

There is a great misconception out there about what Agile is, and what it can do. It is mainly because of those who want to use the terminology without understanding the essence of Agile. They say "we do daily Stand Ups", but there is no format - and it is a status call; it lasts 45 minutes; no one is standing up; they are following a project plan; not all stakeholders are present. That's not a Standup - it's just your typical status meeting. Nothing wrong with that - just call it what it is. They say, we have 2 week sprints, but more often than not the length of the sprint is changed, a slice of work is not considered from end to end - the traditional Waterfall SDLC phases of design/development/testing are broken out across the 2 week time periods. That's not Agile, and it's not a Sprint - it is just the Waterfall timeline broken out to 2 week check points. Again, nothing wrong with that - just call it what it is. Do waterfall well, and you will see success. Methodology doesn't drive success - proper execution of the methodology does.

Many do this because there is pressure from sr management to bring "change". Someone at the top wants to "transform the company", and they heard about "Agile" from a friend or at a seminar, and now they are an "Agile expert". They push the agenda down, without providing enough resource for the transformation to happen properly, and expect people to "figure it out". So what does the middle management do? They Google "agile" or "scrum", read the first article, and start "rolling it out". Rename the status meeting to "stand up" - done! Everyone gets a bonus. Problem solved.

I exaggerate - but you get the point. In the wake of this "transformation", the turnover goes up, and we chalk it up to people's inability to deal with change. The projects fail, and then the naysayers come out "see, told ya". After several thousand dollars of soft and hard cost to the organization, and several years wasted, the organization is either left with this morphed version of waterfall, or "agile" is abandoned because it's 'not right for the organization'. 

Agile can be potent and can transform your organization to become more effective in delivering results, more efficient in predicting outcomes, and your products more relevant - if done the right way. If your company does not have the resources, or does not want to go through the change, the true change, just fix waterfall or any other methodology you are following. It will be less expensive, and overall, more effective. And you won't lose your talent in the meantime.

Good Luck! 

Meeting Agendas... How to Organize Around It

So you have setup a the meeting. Congratulations. Now what?

To conduct an effective meeting, you need to have a clear agenda. And not just in your own head, but a published agenda that everyone is aware of, and agrees to. 

A meeting is considered organized if we create some reading materials and send them out in advance, expecting everyone to be adults and prepare for the meeting. Now let's do a reality check - how many meetings does a person attend on average? Let's talk stats for a minute -

According to a 1998 MCI study (yes, that says 1998 - it was a different world back then - for those of you who were born and around), each day in the United States there are 11 Million meetings (Source: https://e-meetings.verizonbusiness.com/meetingsinamerica/pdf/MIA5.pdf). On a side note, how many meetings do you think we are having now in the U.S.? Senior Managers spend up to 23 hours a week in meetings (that's more than half a work week). So, all this leads me to the topic at hand - how do we get the most out of our meetings. What is the one thing we can do to take a step towards a better meeting environment?

Many times we send our materials, send the agenda, and expect people to show up prepared. We get mad when they don't, and blame how no one cares. Sound about right?

The invitees have fallen victim to the 'feed me' syndrome (commonly found in little kids). You don't have to be a powerhouse at the company to make sure people are prepared for the meeting. As the organizer of the meeting, you have to not only be organized yourself, you also have to help others get organized.

So what should you do?

When you send out the required materials, call out the sections specific people need to pay attention to. For example, if you are discussing a requirements document, there may be a sales section, marketing requirements, software architecture requirements and UI requirements. The marketing representative invited to the meeting only really needs to read the marketing section. They may want to glance over the sales section and the UI section so they know where the product is heading, and how the sales strategy ties into their marketing strategy, but that depends on how much time they have available and how much they can contribute to the other sections.

If you break down the reading materials and tell each of the invitees the sections they need to review, you may get more cooperation. Otherwise, they will see a 50 page document and decide to never have enough time to read the whole thing. This will result in people showing up with no background and no prep, and you will end up having a meeting about the meeting. You will eventually run out of time, and people will walk out frustrated, and the age old cliche of 'have  a meeting to have the meeting' will hold true. 

Just setting the agenda isn't enough. It's the first step.

Let's take the example I outlined above - if all you say is "review marketing, sales, technical and UI related requirements and answer questions to get final sign off", you have already lost the battle and set yourself up for 3-4 sessions with a bunch of folks who are showing up just because.

Try this on for size as the agenda:

---

Problem Statement: Requirements are in the final stages of review - final sign off needed by all stakeholders. 

Time frame: Development team is ready to execute on these requirements in 2 days (xx/xx/xxxx)

Action Items:

Everyone: Review your sections as outlined below and send me questions or bring them to the meeting.

John (marketing): review sections 1 and 2 (pages 3 through 10).

Note: you may want to read section 5 for sales requirements but not required.

Jason (sales): review section 5 for sales requirements. May also want to review sections 1&2.

Terri (UI): Reviews designs in section 8, the problem statements of each of the sections outlined in the document.

---

This will help get everyone organized, and considering the short amount of time everyone has running between meetings, they can focus on what matters to them. They will thank you for pointing out what they should be focusing on, they can read their relevant sections.

To be sure, follow up once (without being a pest) and ask everyone if they need any help or if anything was unclear. It shows you care about the topic, care about what you are calling everyone for, and care for their feedback during the meeting.

Ofcourse, after the meeting send minutes and any follow up items.

Organizing the Organizer... Meetings! Meetings! Meetings!

Having proper meeting etiquette is extremely important. It shows your professionalism, your commitment to the topic at hand, and your commitment to the company and to the person who has setup the meeting. Depending on who the meeting is with, and what your role is, you should be prepared accordingly.

If it is a meeting with a client at their location, get there early. Just getting there 15 minutes ahead of time allows you be relaxed and be in the proper frame of mind to participate. It may also let you do the greetings and introductions up front in a more relaxed environment, which in turn lightens the mood and sets a positive tone for the meeting. It also gives you time in case there is a problem - and a problem could be as simple as you spilling something on your shirt and needing to purchase a stain remover. Or needing to go to the bathroom. Or drinking some water to compose yourself. 

If you are presenting, get there even earlier - perhaps allow for 20-30 minutes. Now the courteous thing to do is to let your host know that you will be there 30 minutes earlier to setup so they are aware and ready. You may need to hook up your laptop to the projector, setup the table/easel/find markers/distribute print outs etc. Imagine if you got there with only 5 minutes to spare, connected your laptop, and the cable doesn't work? You will start stressing out, and stress others out, leaving an overall bad impression and perhaps losing a client or at best, showcasing that you cannot manage your time. You may need time to find the IT guy to help you. As a side note, what's your backup plan?

If the meeting is internal, some people are laxed about getting to it. People are fashionably late by 5-10-15-20 minutes. I have seen the meeting organizers handle this in many different ways - some close the door to the conference room and do not allow anyone else to come in after a 5 minute grace period. Others walk around frantically, looking for the missing participant(s), while some others ask to pay a penalty of $1 or something minimal as a token and acknowledgement for being late. Some others just sit in the conference room and wait... and wait... and wait. Is there a prescribed way to conduct a meeting? Ideally, everyone's there and the meeting starts on time, but that seldom happens. 

  

Source:CondeNastStore


I have personally tried all of the above with varied degrees of success. The most effective way I have experienced is to setup a reminder for the meeting in the invite (10 minutes works - 15 minutes is too long), and basically start on time. If someone comes late, do no recap the meeting and keep going. If someone is critical to the meeting and you want to make sure they are on time, check in with them 10 minutes prior so they are reminded.

And then there's the other side of the spectrum - the meeting-nazis. The meeting organizers who stomp around in anger yelling at people to join their meeting. Or worse - being passive aggressive. There is no cure and no recourse. Just decline if you can, and try not to laugh at their inability to keep their composure. Oh, and good luck!

Journey with My Dog

I saw this coming. I knew one day it will happen that you will be ready to move on, and I will be left behind. I didn't know when and how it would happen, I didn't know how old you would be, I didn't know if it it'd be upon my shoulders to make that decision. I also didn't know how hard it would be for me, Amrita, and the rest of the family. 

Sikhi speaks of moving on, of letting go, of not getting attached, and I wish I had that in me, but the reality is, you are never really ready. It took me several months of preparing myself mentally to be this close to letting you go. I know time heals all, and I am sure you are in a better place already... but you are my first. And firsts are always the hardest and leave the most impression.

So as I cope with your passing, I also want to apologize. I didn't know what to expect out of our relationship. Just like all first relationship, my expectations were too high, my contributions too low. I thought all I had to do was to get you, and then we'd work things out from that point on. I thought my love was enough. We connected, and we shared, but I also feel guilty for not letting you live to your full potential. I feel like I couldn't/didn't train you properly. It wasn't because of lack of trying, but because I didn't know how. And it stunted what you and I could have done together - besides the beautiful memories I have of you, I wish there was more. Somewhere along the journey, life got in the way. Too busy working, too busy with events in life, too busy with whatever - and I lost my bearings. There was a period of time when I did not pay attention to you as much as I could have. I am sorry.

Every time I saw you, you had the same excitement in your eyes. You came and sat next to me, no matter where I was; You sat outside my bathroom as I showered, you would get so excited to see me that you'd shoot out of the front door to greet me, but since you couldn't contain your excitement, so you'd run around and do laps around the backyard. You slept at the foot of my bed till the last day, and you gave me so much joy. Your love was pure - unconditional - limitless - and your affection was warm, and caring. I think it is safe to say that even though I owned you, you owned my heart.

I still remember the day you entered my life - July 3, 2002. Amrita called me and told me about the surprise - I rushed to the airport to pick you up, took you to CT to have you meet with Amrita, and then took you home. You were so scared - after all, you had flown in from Africa. I bathed you, gave you a tour of the house, fed you and gave you your first chew toy (desi style). You fell asleep in my arms... and I fell asleep with you.

We spent many years together - you saw me go through all the stages of my life, and above all, you knew who I would end up with (even before even I knew it). You brought me and my wife together - you played a bigger role than you could ever know in why her and I stayed together. You practically rejected anyone else I brought home, except her. 

You stood guard, majestic as always, whether it was me sitting in the backyard drinking chah, or while my kids played, or while I slept in the basement. I knew you were always there, always ready to protect me and my family. I knew nothing could get past you, and that I could sleep in peace. You knew who was important to me, and went to extreme lengths to protect them. You also knew what I enjoyed, and always either participated in it, or patiently waited for me to be done. You woke up with me, no matter how early or late I slept, and you didn't go to bed until I did. You sat outside Babaji's room, listening to hymns and meditation, enjoying it peacefully and waiting patiently. You LOVED eating parshad - and were caught several times trying to steal it, not only from the table, but also from our hands. 

We celebrated so many events together - Amrita and my birthdays, your birthdays, mom and dad's birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and kids' birthdays. You were such an important member of the family that you even got Sagan when Amrita and I got married, and you were the first one in the family to know that we were having a baby. You accepted and protected my kids the same way you did me, and no matter what my kids did to you, you, being the older and wiser one in the family, never said anything. I remember Ajaivir trying to poke your eye out one day, and all you did was to nudge him away and change the spot where you were sitting. 

You fulfilled one of my oldest desires - for as long as I can remember, I had always wanted a dog. And not just any dog - a big dog. I just didn't know much about the breeds, about the types, so when I someone else in the family with a Rhodesian, I researched further, and my heart was set. Still I didn't know where to get a Rhodesian, and it was still a bit of a dream, until you came along. That dream became a reality when you entered my life. 


In you, I saw a reflection of me. Deeply loving, fiercely protective, loyal to the end, and unconditional and unassuming. From you I learned many life lessons, and I learned about my own self. For many years you were my constant companion, and knew just how to help me get through life. We would sit and without having the need to talk, you gave a sense of comfort. I hope I did the same for you.  

When you got old, barely able to stand and take care of yourself, I knew it would be a matter of a few weeks before I had to make the ultimate decision - probably the hardest decision I have had to make in my life thus far. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, how much you have meant to me, and how you impacted my life in a positive way. I just hope that I was able to do the same for you - that I was able to provide for you, and able to love you the way you loved me. 

Amrita and I drove you on the fateful day, August 25, at 6:30 PM, to the vet, after having done ardaas, and reading Keertan Sohila, asking for your soul to be sent back to this world in human form, so like the rest of us, your soul also has an opportunity to ask for mukti (salvation). I kept your old tired face in my lap for one last time, caressed your wrinkled forehead, and gave you one last hug. We walked together, through the sunset, you turned and looked at the world one last time, and then we stepped into the cold room. I came out with your leash, your collar, and a broken heart. My mind knew it was the right thing, but my heart was screaming. It has taken me several days to even finish this post, and it will take me several weeks if not months to get back to normal.

I will reminisce about our good times and I will remember our adventures; 

I wish you well my friend, and i wish your soul all the good I can offer, and I hope that in this cosmic journey, we meet again. Until then...