The Magic

To my sheer surprise, my Convocation Ceremony gave me two, not just one, as the magical outcomes.

The Magic

It was the same sense of dedication and love for learning that inspired me to prepare myself to earn an Opportunity-of-a-Lifetime.

I'm proud I come from a humble background, and my struggles taught me a great deal about life.

I could see my father working overtime to earn a few extra bucks, and my mother closely working with us to complete our homework on time.

I vividly remember, my parents never compromised on the quality of education of their kids; even though we were not much well off.

Their innumerable sacrifices, big or small; instilled a sense of dedication and love for learning in me since my childhood days.

It was the same sense of dedication and love for learning that inspired me to prepare myself to earn an Opportunity-of-a-Lifetime.

And then, this happened!!!

I got selected for a world-class learning opportunity GLIK (Global Leader for Innovation and Knowledge) offered by JAIMS (Japan America Institute of Management Science).

I traveled to Japan, USA, Singapore and Thailand; and got trained, coached and mentored by industry stalwarts as well as world renowned professor.

Throughout this extraordinary learning journey of mine, I just remembered one thing my mother told me once, 

"Whenever You Earn an Opportunity, Don't Worry Much about the Outcome, Just Put Your Heart & Soul into It, Magic will Happen All by Itself." 

That's what I did!

To my sheer surprise, my Convocation Ceremony gave me two, not just one, as the magical outcomes,

One, I became the 1st Indian to receive 'Honorable Learner Awardee' by JAIMS (Japan America Institute of Management Science).

Two, my Capstone Project based on Skill Development made it to the Top Three Position by the honorable jury.

One, I became the 1st Indian to receive 'Honorable Learner Awardee'
by JAIMS  (Japan America Institute of Management Science).

Two, my Capstone Project based on Skill Development
made it to the Top Three Position by the honorable jury. 

Having returned to India in 2020, I didn’t perceive Covoid-19 as a threat to my career, instead I initiated an Online Learning Community (with over 6,000 learners from across the world) and started catering to their learning needs as per the best of my skills and knowledge.

Today, I stand proud as an online T&D Professional who is ready to take bigger roles and assignments.

For personalized training or life skills coaching, please feel free to connect with me at pgpdbygm@gmail.com

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Online Meeting Etiquette

Ms. Nancy, Assistant Director, Marketing and Recruitment, (INSEAD) During
an Online Meeting with Candidates from Around the Globe

Online Meeting Etiquette

The sudden and unexpected COVID-19 outbreak has had a drastic impact on the way people work in just a couple of months. Online meetings have become an essential part of how modern businesses are maintaining productivity and continuity. 

Huge companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, and countless others are relying on technology to allow their employees to work remotely and stay safe. 

Did You Know that Proper Manners Help Make Your Online Meeting More Productive? 

As a matter of fact, there’s just no substitute for good manners in all of our daily interactions as well, and they’re certainly appreciated more than ever in workplace meetings. 

In today’s current environment, here are a few good recommendations as well as some common sense bullet points, 

1. Read the agenda, come prepared, and show up on time. 

2. Test all technology (including camera/video, wi-fi, and screen sharing) before the meeting. 

3. Wear appropriate clothes and don't wear "noisy" jewelry. 

4. Have an appropriate user name and photo. 

5. Choose a quiet location and an appropriate setting. 

6. Limit meeting distractions and never eat while talking. 

7. Stay on topic. 

8. Don’t interrupt other people when they’re speaking. 

9. Show that you’re listening. 

10. Don't carry on side conversations. 

11. Don’t stare at your phone while other people are presenting. 

12. Turn off all notifications and make sure your cell phone is on silent mode. 

13. End on time. 

14. Thank everyone for attending. 

15. When in doubt, just practice common courtesy. 

Wish you productive online meetings ahead!

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Keep Your Spirits High!

This memory not only made me feel ready for present as well as future challenges,
but also helped me gather enough courage to keep moving forward.

Keep Your Spirits High! 

What are your moments of accomplishments? What exceptional you did last year? Let's celebrate your past successes, cheer yourself up and stay positive during these hard times!

Amid COVID-19, It might be a little hard for some of us to keep our spirits high during this difficult period. 

Let's look back to what exceptional we did; and how we made an effort to change lives for better. 

In a similar attempt, I realized, on this day, exactly one year ago (on April 5, 2019), Project Utthan made it to the most prestigious list of International Recognition at the United Nations, New York. 

On April 5, 2019, Project Utthan made it to the most prestigious list of
International Recognition at the United Nations, New York.

In CTAUN Conference, we were the only social service initiative representing India; among two other awardees, one from Australia and the other one from Bangladesh.

This memory not only made me feel ready for present as well as future challenges, but also helped me gather enough courage to keep moving forward.

What are your moments of accomplishments? What exceptional you did last year? Let's celebrate your past successes, cheer yourself up and stay positive!

And also, when you come out of this lock-down period, don't forget the following message that I came across recently and found it quite thought-provoking and worth sharing.

“Suddenly Disney is out of magic,
Paris is no longer romantic, 

New York doesn't stand up anymore, 

The Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, 

and Mecca is empty.

  

Suddenly you realize that 

power, beauty and money are worthless 

and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for. 

Nature is sending us a message: 

'𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒚. 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉, 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒌𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆. 

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌, 

𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔. 

𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔.” 

source: unknown

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Stay Strong, Stay Safe, Stay Home.

Amid Covidー19, maintaining a strong mindset is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Stay Strong, Stay Safe, Stay Home.

Let's bear these 10 simple yet powerful ideas in mind, they can do wonders for your emotional state; as they did for me.

|| ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ॥ 

|| 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚, 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 (𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔) 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚. ||

Amid Covidー19, maintaining a strong mindset is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Let's bear these 10 simple yet powerful ideas in mind, they can do wonders for your emotional state; as they did for me,

1. Everything can – and will – change.

2. Be at home within yourself and reflect.

3. Take notice of the blessings you already have.

4. There is always, always, always something to be grateful for.

5. Realize you have dozens of unique strengths as a person.

6. Self-care is crucial.

7. Allow yourself to have some fun.

8. Remember, it’s a learning experience.

9. Try to shut out the pessimistic attitude of other people.

10. And last but not the least, you learn and grow the most through change, discomfort, and difficulty. 

Stay strong, stay safe, stay home.

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*If you like this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome to write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Thanks!

15 Best L&D Practices by the Largest Japanese Airline

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers.

15 Best L&D Practices 

by the Largest Japanese Airline

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers. As an organization, ANA follows the best learning & development practices to take full advantage of opportunities for business expansion & Group growth. Let's see how...

As a training professional, I am always on a lookout for the best practices followed by world's greatest organizations. It was a pleasure to visit All Nippon Airways (ANA) headquarter at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. 

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers. As an organization, ANA follows the best learning & development practices to take full advantage of opportunities for business expansion & Group growth. 

While attending a session by none other than Mr. Shiomi Keisuke, President & Chief Executive Officer, (ANA Wing Fellows Vie Oji Co. Ltd.), I realized that ANA is thinking way ahead of its competitors. 

With Mr. Shiomi Keisuke, President & Chief Executive Officer, (ANA Wing Fellows Vie Oji Co. Ltd.)

ANA is actively investing in the human assets who are the driving force behind their growth.They are creating programs to motivate employees, and enabling them to fully demonstrate their abilities. 

Here are 15 most pertinent L&D practices that ANA follows, 

1. To deepen their understanding of different cultures, they have established an exchange program that provides the opportunity for overseas staff members to visit Japan, and cooperate with Japanese staff members. 
   
   
2. They emphasize the planning and execution of lectures, seminars and other training programs to innovate employee awareness and corporate culture. 
   
   
3. Their mentoring system won the Japan Productivity Center’s Mentor Award, which recognized ANA’s unique internal network that facilitates access to the advice of senior employees who have dealt with similar issues in the past. 
   
   
4. They established the ANA JINZAI (Human Assets) University in 2007 to provide human assets training, including programs such as rank-based and elective training. 
   
   
5. Training is given by lecturers from inside and outside the ANA Group, and incorporates such methods as on-site courses and even Zen meditation to heighten its effectiveness. 
   
   
6. These development programs support the autonomous career development of all Group employees and promote an environment where individual employees can display their capabilities to the maximum possible extent in their respective roles. 
   
   
7. The ANA Group is providing education to Groupwide classes of mid-level employees (people aged 25-29) and managers (people in their mid-thirties). 
   
   
8. The curriculum for mid-level employees includes leadership and problem-solving techniques to cultivate the ability to help achieve the vision of the students’ divisions.
   
9. Managers research case studies of other companies and have opportunities to meet executives from other industries to discuss their successes, thus cultivating human assets who can look beyond the company in innovating established thinking and practices. 
   
   
10. ANA has been printing customer compliments on the cover sheets of monthly payslips since long. This practice, proposed by an employee, was initiated to raise both everyday awareness of customer satisfaction on the part of employees and the level of customer satisfaction. 
    
    
11. Among frontline staff members, ANA promotes the exchange of Good Job Cards, where employees who find something praiseworthy in a colleague’s work write it down on a card and pass it to the colleague. 
    
    
12. This system utilizing praise of colleagues’ work is useful for creating interest in what others are working on, while encouraging an atmosphere where employees always take pride in their jobs and the jobs of those working with them. 
    
    
13. Furthermore, the “Wow!” Award was established to recognize employees and work units that inspire their colleagues with original ideas that are not bound by existing systems and values. 
    
    
14. The ANA Group proactively creates opportunities for frontline employees to directly discuss issues with top management. The Group’s executives talk directly with employees in their own words about business conditions, while employees directly convey to top management the status of their work sites and any unresolved issues. 
    
    
15. ANA Virtual Hollywood is a program in which employees propose and execute projects that capture the hearts of customers, just as film directors produce Hollywood movies that have the power to enthrall the masses. 
    
    
    So, which best practices are being followed in your organization? Feel free to share.
    
    

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*If you like this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome to write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Thanks!

Life Lessons from Children

“A child can teach an adult a lot." 

Life Lessons from Children  

I was invited for a guest lecture, and I remember we had an amazing time. Here are 10 essential life lessons we can learn from children.

Paulo Coelho once said, “A child can teach an adult a lot."

Today, in one of my folders, I found this old picture that reminded me of the lovely time I had with these bright kids at Porter Middle School, MT, United States.

I was invited for a guest lecture, and I remember we had an amazing time.

Here are 10 essential life lessons we can learn from children,

(i) Be Yourself.

(ii) Stay Curious.

(iii) Keep Smiling.

(iv) Live in the Present Moment.

(v) Start Every Day on a Fresh Note.

(vi) Don’t Let Failure Pull You Down.

(vii) It’s Okay to Ask for Help When You Need It.

(viii) Don’t be Afraid to Try New Things.

(ix) We Have the Potential to Do Amazing Things.

(x) and most importantly, Have Fun.

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*If you like this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome to write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Thanks!

Quick Tips on How to Motivate Your Student-Trainees

What's your general behavior and attitude when you teach/ train your students/ trainees?

Quick Tips on How to 

Motivate Your Student-Trainees

What's your general behavior and attitude when you teach/ train your students/ trainees?

I have always believed in the power of motivation as getting your student-trainees motivated can make learning fun, and inspire them to reach their full potential. 

Meet 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐡! 

I was quite impressed with Radha's dedication and
her zeal to make a difference in her overall personality.

I vividly remember when Radha attended her first Training & Development session, she came across a bit under-confident. In due course of time, she not only became super-confident, but also started participating with more and more enthusiasm. 

I was quite impressed with her dedication and her zeal to make a difference in her overall personality. From time to time, I kept receiving her success-stories; and her accomplishments always made me proud as her mentor. 

I kept receiving her success-stories; and her accomplishments always made me proud as her mentor. 

In a book titled '𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥', Todd Braver implies that motivation affects how an individual pays attention to specific information and attempts to understand it, in place of doing rote learning. 

Students are 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 motivated if they love or enjoy what they are doing even if there is no reward or incentive for it. While students are 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 motivated if they do not enjoy what they do, they will still do so to obtain the rewards or tokens. 

Motivation uplifts student’s enthusiasm about the activities presented to them. Once they get motivated to achieve something by doing the tasks, they will eventually exert their full 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. 

So, here are my 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 for getting your student-trainees motivated enough to learn new skills or knowledge, 

𝟏. 𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 

𝟐. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 '𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭'. 

𝟑. 𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧. 

𝟒. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲. 

𝟓. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭. 

𝟔. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 

𝟕. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 

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*If you like this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome to write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Thanks!