Wednesday 25 May 2016

“The CEOs with Military Background and Leadership Development Training Programs” ―Professor M.S.Rao









“The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.” ― Michael Porter


There are some CEOs who are passionate about building next generation of leaders. They walked their talk and shared their knowledge through teaching and training programs to their employees. The list of such CEOs includes Jack Welch of General Electric, Roger A. Enrico and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo. Roger Enrico became a leadership educator after leaving as CEO. It is obvious that leaders build leaders, not followers.  Similarly, there are some military officers who became successful CEOs. It shows the significance of military training to become successful leaders and CEOs.

When CEOs are directly involved in training and grooming their employees as leaders, the employees become more engaged and loyal to their organizations. It also conveys a strong message to the senior management that the organization is committed to developing its employees as leaders. The brand image of the company goes north direction. Hence, CEOs must involve in leadership development training programs directly as it indicates company’s commitment to learning and development.  Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric (GE) walked his talk. He had a vision and was passionate about sharing his knowledge and building leaders. Hence, CEOs must demonstrate their vision, passion and commitment to leadership development training programs.


Advantages of Leadership Development Training Programs

There are several advantages associated with leadership development training programs. They update the knowledge, skills and abilities of employees. They enhance employees’ performance and productivity to achieve organizational excellence and effectiveness. They improve the image and brand of the organizations. They keep the leadership pipeline ready to enable the second rung of leaders to be ready to take over senior leadership positions in case of any eventuality.


CEOs with Military Background

When you observe CEOs such as Alex Gorsky of Johnson & Johnson; Robert A. McDonald  of Proctor and Gamble; Robert Myers of Casey’s General Store; James A. Skinner of Walgreens; Herb Vest of H.D. Vest; Richard Kinder of Kinder Morgan; Ken Hicks of FootLocker; Sumner Redstone of Viacom; Daniel Akerson of General Motors; Clayton M. Jones of Rockwell Collins;  Tom Dent of Lumetra; Lowell McAdam of Verizon;  James Mulva of ConocoPhillips; Robert J. Stevens of Lockheed Martin; Frederick W. Smith of FedEx, it is obvious that they all came from military background.


Does Military Training Make Better Leaders?

The military training equips soldiers with several qualities such as leadership, emotional intelligence, team building, communication skills, confidence, adaptability and fraternity. Since the soldiers work on under grueling conditions, they excel as strong leaders. In fact, testing times make them as tough leaders. They are filled with energy and enthusiasm with a heart to serve others. They are strategic thinkers, trustworthy, risk takers, learn lessons from failures, and motivate others where there is no light at the end of the tunnel. They are highly focused hitting the bull’s eye. However, military leaders must develop flexibility to adjust with civilians. They are straightforward and often lack tact and diplomacy.

Although we cannot conclude that the CEOs with military background alone will succeed, the fact is that the military background is definitely an asset.  Hence, success rate of leaders and CEOs with military background is higher basically because they build trust in others and stick to their commitments. Additionally, their confidence and communication help them stand out from others.

Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs, founding chairman and CEO emeritus for Qualcomm once remarked, “A great leader must lead by example, not by fiat. He or she must set an example of integrity, of openness to new ideas, of understanding details as well as the larger picture, of communicating well, and of not shooting the messenger when a problem arises but helping find a solution.” Most of the military leaders possess these qualities thus becoming successful leaders and CEOs.


“Where visionaries can be good at persuasion, CEOs are good at wielding authority. Visionaries transcend organizations, resources, and current realities, while CEOs master them.” ― Bob Metcalfe



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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award―2015




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Thursday 19 May 2016

Professor M.S.Rao is Judge for Small Business Book Awards 2016









"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.” ― Benjamin Franklin


I serve as an Advisor and Board Member for various international bodies including Global Leadership Awards Committee, Malaysia URL:  http://globalleadershipawards.com/HTML/judges.html, Middle East Business Leaders Summits & Awards, Dubai URL: http://www.meblsa.com/judges.html  and as a Judge for Small Business Book Awards, USA http://bookawards.smallbiztrends.com.  I also serve on the editorial boards of various prestigious international journals including Development and Learning in Organizations (DLO), Industrial and Commercial Training (ICT) of Emerald, U.K and The Journal of Value Based Leadership, USA. I serve as a book reviewer for Human Resource Management International Digest (HRMID) Emerald, U.K.

Small Business Book Awards gives away awards for the best book in each category every year and, as I judge, I got list of books one week ago with links to read and judge. Since I am passionate about learning, I take reading various books seriously. As a judge, I read them meticulously to choose the best books. Here is the process I adopted to choose the best books as winners in each category:

First, I read the titles of all the books. Second, I read their synopsis to understand the books that really contains and conveys message to the readers. I have read the comments, likes and shares of those books on the website link http://bookawards.smallbiztrends.com.  Third, I further opened the soft copy of the books to understand the content and presentation. Fourth, I clicked the online links for those books to understand the rank in sales in each category and their overall ranks. I read the quality of endorsements by eminent thinkers and authors, if any. I read the reviews the book received from the readers. Firth, I shortlisted the best books in each category. I have read the books in each category for their quality of presentation, uniqueness and the value they have added to the readers. Finally, I have chosen one book in each category as the winner for the year 2016.

The process of selection is very challenging, and I feel it is the best possible way to shortlist the best books within the shortest time to enable the best books to be the winners.  I found most of the books are good. Hence, I found it very challenging to choose the best.

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of selecting the best book. I learnt many things from this process. I acquired knowledge in my area of interest. I understood the latest developments and the way presentation in books is changing globally. It was a great privilege to serve as a judge for Small Business Book Awards. I decided to share it with my readers as the knowledge grows when shared.


“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ― St. Augustine




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sandra Patel Award―2015




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Saturday 14 May 2016

“Tips to Come out of Your Visa Interview Successfully” ―Professor M.S.Rao





"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." ― John F. Kennedy


Indians show keen interest to pursue higher education abroad. The number of Indian students pursuing higher education in America, Australia and Britain is high from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamilnadu. It is amazing to see an immense enthusiasm in Indian students for overseas education!

The overseas education especially in America, Australia, Britain and Canada is qualitative, practical and employment-oriented. There are immense opportunities to network with others globally to grow as global leaders. Additionally, there are immense employment opportunities. There is more money and a better standard of living. Hence, Indians show keen interest to pursue higher education and settle down there.

The host countries conduct interview to grant permission for visa which is popularly known as ‘visa interview’.  Many students are scared of visa interview.  But the fact is that visa interview is like any other employment interview with the only difference of questions about the university, course and study destination. Here are some tips to attend your visa interview confidently to come out with flying colors:  
  • Be punctual to the interview.
  • Be calm and composed when you respond to Visa Officer's questions.
  • Demonstrate positive attitude, commitment and enthusiasm to pursue higher education.
  • Don’t express your intentions to settle down after completion of your course.  
  • Communicate clearly that the quality of education is amazing in host countries with an emphasis on empowerment and enlightenment.  
  • Express your intension to pursue higher education in host country and return your home country after completion of your course successfully.
  • Be honest and straight forward.
  • Be cheerful and maintain positive body language.
  • Don’t parrot the answers. Be spontaneous and natural while responding.
  • Speak to the point without beating around the bush.
  • Thank the Visa Officer for giving you opportunity and exit from interview with etiquette.


Commonly Asked Visa Interview Questions

Here are some commonly asked visa interview questions for students:
Why are you thinking about studying abroad?
Where are you going?
What is your specialization?
Tell me something about your past?
How many admissions did you get?
Why did you choose this university?
Why did you choose this country for your higher studies?
Who will finance your studies?
What will you do on your return?
What are your entrance tests score?
What is the annual income of your father/mother?
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
How do I know that you are not planning to stay abroad after your education?
What will you do if I do not issue a visa to you?

Every country has its own parameters to grant visa. Hence, identify them to create compatibility. Usually questions are asked about the choice of college, course and the reasons for choosing the study destination. Carry all your documents for your interview to avoid seeking another visa appointment. Keep all your documents in order. Read them in advance to enable you to clarify any questions asked during interview.


Conclusion

After successful completion of your visa interview, connect with other students who have already pursued their education or still pursuing education from the university you chose. Keep funds and financial reserves ready. Put your best efforts to acquire education and network with the students of other countries for better career opportunities. Good luck!


“The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” ― Diogenes Laertius




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award―2015




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.