Source : The Economic Times
Dated : 16/12/2006

A good article on Motivation in employees and how the body language and attitude matters at the workplace.

An employee has a winning attitude when he considers himself to be an ambassador of the company that he works with. This means that at all times, whether in a professional or social setting, his conduct must be impeccable, his behaviour must reflect well on the company. For instance, I expect everyone who works at Kinetic to be polite, dignified, professional and intelligent. He should also be well-informed about the company and its initiatives.

Even if the employee’s particular job profile may be restricted to a certain responsibility, he should have sufficient knowledge about the products in detail, company plans and what the current buzz is about us in the market; as well as about the industry and our competitors. It’s also important to be intelligent so that others can hold well-informed discussions about the company with him. This ‘ambassador’ attitude portrays loyalty and a genuine interest in work. It also creates a positive impression.

An ideal employee should also always seek growth and knowledge. He should be motivated enough to seize initiatives and be committed to striking a good deal for the company. Any employer will appreciate an employee who is committed to preserve and forward the well-being of the organization.

Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic Group

The right attitude is a winning combination of taking initiatives, being passionate about one’s work, being innovative and analytical as well as creative. An employee should also have a strong set of values, should be able to respect team members, dare to dream and have the persistence to execute projects and meet challenging situations. I remember, once there was a fire in our office and employees risked their lives to rescue their work.

And during the recent Mumbai floods, our research centre was badly hit. The water had breached the wall and was steadily rising in each lab. However, our employees worked together to put their equipment – which was on the floor – on high tables and switched off all the wiring to avoid short circuits.

Everyone shared the limited food available. Everyone tried to keep the children in our office creche as happy as possible. They slept on the floor and boosted each other’s morale. This positive attitude, team work and the ability to fight tough circumstances are what we really value at the Piramal group.

Dr Swati A Piramal, Director, Strategic Alliances & Communications, Nicholas Piramal India Limited

The way an employee behaves with others is a reflection of his attitude. He should be cordial and polite to everyone – right from the peon to the top bosses.

Prakash Chauhan, Executive Chairman, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd

The winning attitude can be summed up in one word – tenacity. It is this ability to consistently persevere that’s a defining quality in a good worker. This is what separates a winner from others.

Suketu V Shah, President & director, Mukand Ltd

Winning is determined many times by one’s attitude in a business environment. An employee may have limited ability, but with the right mental attitude, he can still produce excellent results and contribute in the company’s overall growth.

On the other hand, one may have talent in abundance, but if the right mental attitude is missing, it will never allow him to reach his ultimate potential. Attitude is what separates excellence from mediocrity. I also believe that personal integrity is crucial and an employee should tell nothing but the truth.

For me, an employee’s secret of success is passion. Thinking big can ensure that he emerges a winner in his chosen field.

Source : The Economic Times
Dated : 15/12/2006

Indians are turning out to be preferred acquirers for investment bankers in the West with a sell mandate. Indian corporates are being seen as job creators as against private equity investors who are seen as asset strippers.

Speaking to ET, I-Sec managing director S Mukherji said that one of the biggest investment banking opportunities for the company was cross-border acquisitions. “Right now, most investment bankers in the West have sell mandates. On the buy side are private equity investors,

Chinese and Indian corporates. Indian corporates are turning out to be preferred buyers because most of the Indian acquisitions overseas have done well, and there is a very good feedback about them.”

The reason why overseas sellers prefer Indian acquirers is that employment tends to go up after an Indian acquisition since Indian corporates use the company as a platform for overseas expansion.

A lot of Indians are buying front-end to move up the value chain. They are buying loss-making businesses and making them profitable. According to Mr Mukherji, he expects to see action in overseas expansion in auto components, textiles, pharma, pulp and paper, iron ores and engineering. In addition, Indian corporates are actively looking for acquiring global FMCG brands.

On the retail broking side, I-Sec sees a huge opportunity as the share of equities improves significantly in household savings. “From just about 1%, equities have grown to account for 6% of the household savings.

Given the size, even a 1% increase is a massive amount,” said Mr Mukherji. I-Sec already has a sizeable chunk of the online broking market. Of the 1.9 million registered online broking account holders in the country, ICICI Direct has close to one million.

“As of now, only 0.7% of India’s population is demat-enabled, which means there is a huge potential waiting to be tapped in the retail brokering segment. As the leader with one million online broking customers, we intend to capitalise on this large untapped market and expand our retail broking business,” said Mr Mukherji. He added that considering that internet broking services are turning to be a commodity, advice will be the major differentiation. The company plans to leverage its capabilities in research for this purpose.

I-Sec has inherited a sizeable retail broking business following the merger of group company ICICI Web Trade with I-Sec’s broking subsidiary. This new business unit is expected to contribute a third of the company’s revenues, with investment banking and bond trading also contributing equally. I-Sec, which is already into IPO distribution, is planning to convert the first time equity subscribers into internet account holders.