Two Choices

Two Choices What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection.. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query.The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child." Then he told the following story:Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning." Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. "That day", said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world".Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messagesabout life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward

Retention Strategies

It usually is less expensive and more rewarding to retain top talent than recruit new talent. This has prompted employers to become proactive, and add value to their employees' lifestyles. ESOPs, too is fast losing its charm. Today organizations are providing their employees with vacations to exotic locales, refrigerators filled with goodies in the office, turbo charged cars and massages. Yet the turnover rate is ever increasing.
What employers need to do retain??
# Calculate the turnover cost of every position:
The turnover rate might be higher for profiles like call centre representatives, sales executives and customer care executives. Employees with such profiles are willing to relocate for small hikes in salary. However, the cost of turnover might not be very high. After calculating the turnover cost, organizations need to understand the needs of the employee and address it. Precaution should be taken to see that the cost of retention does not exceed the cost of turnover.
# Identify the process or the job that leads to turnover:
Conduct employee surveys to see if employees are really satisfied with what they are doing or if they can do their jobs in a different way. The company should not be dependent on individuals; instead it should focus on automating functions so that the activities are process driven. This eliminates monotony and makes it easier for employees to focus on improvements.
# Re-assess the recruitment process:
Is your recruitment process good enough for you to gauge your employee's loyalty and commitment, the tenure of each of your senior staff in the company? Companies should proactively look for suitable candidates, with a long-term perspective in mind. Such an approach gives them a chance to get the best on board instead of making a hurried and often incorrect recruitment.
Review performance management and compensation practices: The performance management system should correlate with organizational values, goals, objectives and personal goals. Each of these parameters should also be related to compensation.
# Review training and development activities:
Training to enhance the competency and skills of the employee is always welcomed. However, these must directly impact the job of the employee. If an employer is willing to invest in the development of the employee's skills and expertise, then there are fair chances of his continuing for a longer time. Cross-functional training provides challenge to the employees and combats boredom.
Since, employees are the only assets a company has, it must invest in its employees. After all, it feels good to go home in the evening and not wonder if your employees are going to turn up for work next day.

Tips to make your business writing shine

Do you get irritated reading poorly written e-mails and documents sent by colleagues? I have experienced that, while most professionals are experts in subject matter when it comes to their fields, they rely on methods learnt at school when it comes to writing business messages. As a result, they mistake verbosity for intellect, and quantity for quality. They also ignore the fact that customers and employees today simply do not have time to read poor documents. Here are some simple tips to inject life into your daily business communication:
Keep away from boring phrases
The language of business has changed. The focus now is on clarity and getting the message across quickly. Expressions like 'With reference to our conversation' , 'Please be informed', 'Kindly be advised', 'I would like to bring to your attention' and 'I am writing to advise you' are considered old fashioned. You writing should reflect your personality.
Here are a few alternates you could consider:
~ Replace 'With reference to your email' with 'Thanks for writing to me' ~ Replace 'As discussed in our telecon' with 'Thanks for calling me today'
Don't use jargon
It can get in the way of comprehension. You may often come across messages that leave you confused. This happens when people use difficult words and phrases to impress, rather than to communicate. Keep your sentences short and simple. Make sure your average sentence length is approximately 15 words. You will keep your readers engaged by using simple words. Don't get absorbed in using flowery language. Instead, use language a reader will understand. ~ Replace 'Inspite of the fact that' with 'Despite' ~ Replace 'In view of the fact that' with 'because/since'
Focus on your tone
You can be firm, friendly or persuasive; it depends on the impression you wish to convey. It is important to get the tone right, because using the wrong tone could cause real offence to your reader. Tone in writing refers to the emotional context of your message, the degree of formality or informality you use in your writing, and your attitude towards the subject. Your tone typically conveys -- your position, relationship with the reader and content of your message. Here are a few examples:
Bad tone: This problem would not have occurred if you had connected the wires properly in the first place. Good tone: This problem may be resolved by following the instructions over the phone. Bad tone: You were late in informing us about the faults in the product and your guarantee has expired. Good tone: Unfortunately, we received your complaint after the guarantee expired.
Understand your reader
Business writing is persuasive writing. You will be able to write most persuasively if you know your audience and its expectations, and if you organise your message to address its needs. Before you write, ask yourself these questions about your reader:
How interested or involved in the subject is my reader? How knowledgeable is he or she on the subject? What is my reader's purpose for reading -- to make a decision, or to be better informed? Does my reader have special concerns or strong views about the subject? How does my reader regard me personally and professionally? What is my reader's style of doing business?
Choose fonts diligently
Although the choice of fonts is an issue of personal choice, fonts that look good in print don't always look as good on a computer. Reading information from a screen is easier if you use a font that has been specially designed for on-screen reading. Two such fonts deserve special mention: Georgia and Verdana. These are wider than most fonts and their lower-case letters are quite tall. This adds to their overall readability. A well written message reflects your professionalism and attention to detail. So pay attention to these basics before you send out your next e-mail.

The Fisherman

The American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied "only a little while".
The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?" The American laughed and said that's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions. "Millions, senor? Then what?" The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar."

Commonly Used Phrases at the Office and... What they really mean!

1. For your information, please. (FYI) Meaning : I don't know what to do with this, so please keep it.

2. Noted and returned. Meaning : I don't know what to do with this, so please keep it little while.

3. Review and comment. Meaning : Do the dirty work so that I can forward it.

4. Action please. Meaning : Get yourself involved for me. Don't worry, I'll claim the credit.

5. For your necessary action. Meaning : It's your headache now.

6. Copy to. Meaning : Here's a share of my headache.

7. For your approval, please. Meaning : Put your neck on the chopping board for me please.

8. Action is being taken. Meaning : Your correspondence is lost and I am trying to locate it.

9. Your letter is receiving our attention. Meaning : I am trying to figure out what you want.

10. Please discuss. Meaning : I don't know what the "****" this is, so please brief me.

11. For your immediate action. Meaning : Do it NOW! Or I will get into serious trouble.

12. Please reply soon. Meaning : Please be efficient. It makes me look inefficient.

13. We are investigating/processing your request with the relevant authorities. Meaning : They are causing the delay, not us.

14. Regards. Meaning : Thanks and bless you for reading all the nonsense.

Pond ! Chipkali ! Railway ! Hairs

Q - In a pond there are 10 fish, one of them dies, and the water level of the pond increases. How?

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A - The other 9 fish are crying.................


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Once 5 CHIPKALIs (house lizards) : Phulwa, RaamPyaari, RaamDulari,RaamPuri and RaamChuri were crawling on the wall when all of a sudden, Phulwa started to sing a song. The moment Phulwa stopped singing the song, RaamPyaari,RaamDulari, RaamPuri and RaamChuri fell down from the wall !!!... WHY ???
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coz, they all started clapping !!!!
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A railway station beggar meets another beggar. A software engineer meets another software engineer. Both of them ask the same question to each other. What is the question?















"So, which platform are you working on?"



*****************************-************************* Question: Two hairs on a bald man's head fall in love with each other and want to get married, but cannot. Why?



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Ans: Because under Indian laws, "baal vivaah" is illegal.