Staying current – why and how?

I hate to admit it, but till a couple of months back, my news updates were limited to Bollywood updates on The Times of India. Then I attended a couple of leadership training programs and realized that no matter how good I am with people, how witty I am, how well I do my work, I will never stay ahead of the curve if I don’t know “my stuff”. Understanding that knowledge is power and working towards gaining that power and using it to excel in my job, garner respect and increase my circle of influence, was my key take way from these training sessions.


So, I got down to knowing my stuff. I am proud to say that I have consistently kept up with my plan for a month now, which is way longer than any health regime that I ever undertook.

So for those of you out there like me, let me give you a few tips on how you can “know your stuff”.

What exactly is your stuff?

There is so much information out there – so what do you want to know? It can be very confusing and many a times very overwhelming to identify what should you be aware of, what should you be an expert on and what should you completely ignore. So sit down and make a list:

• What you should be aware of –

These are generally news, topics of general discussions and topics which will help you to start a conversation. Browse through headlines of a couple of national and international newspapers. Read in detail any news item that catches your interest. Make a conscious effort to read atleast a couple of articles other than ones pertaining to the entertainment and sports section. Go through your company’s website or your main clients’ websites to see if there are any interesting updates. In today’s world finance and technology are big conversation starters. Again don’t try to be an expert, but glance though dailies which give you updates on these.

Now that you are aware of things, try using them in conversations. Start small, maybe at home over the dinner table or with your colleagues over lunch. The transition to a similar conversation with a boss or a client is then very smooth. This basically tells the listener that you are “aware”. You are interested in and know about the world that you live in.

• What you should ignore –

This is a tricky one. You need to be careful that you do not miss out on important updates, but you should also not waste your time reading every word that has been printed. So how do you find that balance? In my view, these are topics in which you are not interested at all AND (and this is a very big and) which do not impact your work and life – for ex: I had heard some time back that Einstien’s theories would be disproved or something to that effect. Even if I read tons of articles on it, am not sure I would understand what is being discussed, neither am I interested. Similarly cases of corruption in India are so rife that to waste my time trying to understand the schematics of each would be depressing. So I just tell myself – “that’s another bunch of my tax money down the drain” and go on with life. Some important facts like who is the PM and which party is ruling, I know from the above section – the rest anyway doesn’t impact me on a daily basis, so I don’t waste time trying to follow up. But if there are topics that you are not interested in, but you need to know for your work, then they become part of the third bucket.

• What you should be an expert on?

Being an expert on Sachin Tendulkar’s cricket stats is of no use unless you are a sports analyst, commentator etc. But might be important to you as every ton of his causes you personal ecstacy. So in my view, you should be an expert on two things:

o Things you are passionate about

o Things you need to know to make you successful at your workplace

For some fortunate people both these coincide with each other; but for most mortals they are different. I am passionate about travel, fiction books and American crime series (no shame in admitting). None of them get my job done. What I need to know to get my job done and done well are auditing standards, corporate governance frameworks, updates in accounting world, regulatory updates etc. None of them are half as much fun as CSI series….But I need to keep myself updated. So how do I do that? A few tips that worked for me are:

o Link this knowledge acquisition to something at work –

Decide to write a paper or contribute to your official website once every two months on a new development or decide to take a training on a new topic every month. Put these as a part of your KRA. Believe me, unless there is an actual impact, at least initially, you will more often than not find an excuse to not do it. You will find that once you get into a habit of keeping yourself updated, it comes naturally. It no longer is “forced” – its “natural”.

o Find interesting sources –

Reading official websites is boring – they are very informative, no doubt, but they are normally very drab. So find interesting blogs on the topic, be part of discussion forums, read new letters / monthly magazines. I subscribe to magazines from ISACA, IIA and ACFE.. they are amazing and interesting sources of information and they come only once a month, so I spent less than 8-10 hours a month reading them. A typical work month has 160 – 180 hours, we are talking of less than 10% of the total time – surely you can find that time.

o Use commute time –

I subscribe to most magazines online and have added the list of websites that I regularly browse as favourites. On my way to and from office daily, with FM playing loud Bollywood music in my years, I put my smartphone to good use – I read on the way. Two hours daily of being stuck in traffic being put to building my knowledge base!! I have to thank the government for this indirect investment they make in me by not repairing roads and solving traffic congestions. No more compliants of no time to read....

o Have an opinion and share it -

Do what I’m doing. Write a blog, tweet about new developments, update your linkedin page with comments on relevant topics. The funny thing is every one has an opinion on everything. So when you share your opinions and views on social media , you are bound to get a lot of comments. To stand your ground, you need to KNOW YOUR STUFF!

Try these simple tips and see if they help you. Remember you need to keep at it – knowledge acquisition is akin to breathing, you stop – you die.

Working from home – Do’s and Don’ts

With globalization taking over corporate life and employees seeking to balance work across time zones and their personal lives, companies are increasingly promoting the use of “work from home” as an incentive to keep employees motivated and also bring down infrastructure costs associated with having employees in an office. There are many businesses which maintain an office purely for skeletal staff and administrative purposes, but have almost 100% of employees working from their homes. While whether this is a good practice from an employee connect perspective or not is a topic for another discussion. What I have tried to list down in this article are a few essential do’s and don’ts while working from home. These are drawn purely from personal experience as I myself work extensively from home.


1. Set expectations clear

Most people who work from home do so because of personal reasons / commitments – health, kids etc. So communicate those reasons upfront to your employer. Discuss black out periods, when you will not be available; back up plans for those times, specific deliverables / KPI’s etc; so that your employer is aware of when you are available and what to expect from you.

2. Plan your day

Like any day at office, plan your day even when working from home. If you have to drop your kids to school, pick them up, chauffer them for extra curricular activities, bake those times into your daily schedule and plan meetings around them. When you have immovable deadlines; plan your day in such a way that you either start the day early or stretch at night, have someone to cover for the some of your personal errands etc.

3. Get the right infrastructure

Get a good high speed broad band connection, an external camera, power backup (if you are in cities like Pune, Bangalore which are plagued by power cuts) etc. Even if your company doesn’t pay for all or part of these, consider these to be your investment for the work-life balance that you are striving for. This will ensure that you are able to work effectively, do F2F meetings if required on skype etc.

4. Get the schematics right

This includes your work space and your work attire. Believe you me – when you are dressed professionally, you sub consciously start acting professionally. Being dressed in boxer shorts and an old T gives you a feeling of casualness. This may not be appropriate for most lines of business and may subtly hinder your work process. Similarly sitting plomped n your couch with TV on or on your bed with a pack of chips next to you will have the same effect. Obviously dressing up in a 3 piece suit when at home would be extreme; unless of course you are having a video conference with senior stakeholders in which case it may be warranted. But have a work desk ready with required office paraphernalia – pens, post it’s, note pads, chargers etc. Dress in comfortable casuals – even a fresh pair of jeans and a formal shirt would do the trick.

5. Be available when you say you will be

Log into your office messenger service or Lync etc when you start your day and show that you are available. Be prompt in responding to calls, emails like you would when you are in office. When you leave your computer, put an appropriate status message on the office communicator to indicate when you will be back. Use the time you are online effectively for productive official work – anything else in my view would be downright unethical and a breach of trust that your organization has placed on you.

These in my view are a few basics that would be a good foundation to productively deliver from home. Would love your views if there are any other factors that have worked for you.