The Business of Good People

By Dr. Raghu Korrapati; Balaji Kannan

What is civilization if not a vast and interlinked network of human relationships? With 'The Business of People', Dr Raghu sets out to teach the reader how to make these relationships healthy and mutually beneficial. The book manages to do that with a lot of flair. It also abounds in anecdotes that will often put a smile on the reader's face as he/she simultaneously marvels at the extraordinary mind of the author.     Dr. Raghu discusses certain characteristics that we all understand but fail to recognise their importance like punctuality, humility, politeness, rationality, prudence, self-supervision, persistence, apologising, assertiveness, taking the initiative, and sense of humour among others.     The points discussed by Dr. Korrapati are in tune with the National Skill Development Board, an initiative of the Prime Minister to improve employable skills among Indian youth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Oct 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9798128819482

Book preview

journey.

The Foundation: Human Skills

Social relations guidelines involving people skills have been recorded from very early times. Two examples of early guidelines can be found in the Old Testament. Firstly, in Leviticus 19:18, where it says, Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against your people, but love your neighbor as yourself, and secondly, from Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 15:1, where it says: A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger [New International Version Bible" Retrieved on 2009-08-18].

The interest in the field of human relations and behavioral aspects became a mass movement in the 20th century. Several noted institutions, scholars and authors committed their energies to tap into the wisdom, and a great wealth from it has been shared with the world in the form of journals and books. With a surge in knowledge in that field, people and corporations slowly began to recognize and accept the importance of people and human relations in the corporate world.

In 1930, Dale Carnegie popularized people skills in How to Win Friends & Influence People and How to Stop Worrying & Start Living throughout the world. These books became a movement that has only increased in strength since the book’s publication.

Companies began accepting the importance of human relations as an essential skill for their employees. Also, they began focusing on improving their relations with employees, resulting in direct benefit to the company in terms of retention, morale, productivity and profits.

In the 1960’s, US schools introduced people skills, topics and methods—often as a way to promote better self-esteem, communication and social interaction.

There was also some profound work done in that area by SCANS or the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills.

SCANS, appointed in 1990 by Lynn Martin, the Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, was made up of 30 business, school, union and parental representatives. SCANS’ job was to examine the demands of the future workplace, and they eventually developed a list of skills that high-performance workplaces require and that high-performance schools should produce. It consists of five basic competencies, which define what an effective worker should know and have skill in. They are:

Resource Management (allocating time, money, materials and staff),

Interpersonal (working on teams, teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds),

Information Management (acquiring and evaluating data, organizing and maintaining files, interpreting and communicating, and using computers to process information.),

Systems (understanding social, organizational, and technological systems, monitoring and correcting performance, and designing or improving systems),

Technology (selecting equipment and tools, applying technology to specific tasks, and maintaining and troubleshooting technologies).

Another important aspect of recognizing the power of human relations is recognizing its timeless existence and the power generated by it, which primarily manifests itself in the form of powerful and highly influential social networks.

Human interactions are the very basis of every social network that is formed, which in turn is the foundation for every other geo-political network that exists in this world. But, in the beginning, it all starts with one human being connecting to another.

By definition, a social network, as defined by Wikipedia, is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called nodes, which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

The core pieces of a social network continue to be people. Human relations throughout social existence have wielded extraordinary power, overpowering any other form of structure, and have broken through the most rigid norms created by social, bureaucratic, economic and governance structures. Human ties have managed to cut across most of them and managed to create an almost parallel way of life with a complex web, beginning with just one relation between two human entities, the human bond.

People interactions and networks have existed historically at all scales and at global levels.

However, when the patrons of this network begin supporting activities that violate social and legal norms, the outcomes of such powerful human network cultures becomes both questionable and objectionable by the civic society. Terrorist groups are an example.

Guanxi still continues to be widely used in the social and corporate world in China for seeking favors, securing jobs and expanding business ties amongst other things.

Lets us share with you a few forms of extremely strong social structures that have existed in this world.

Guanxi is a Phenomenon that is prevalent in China. Per Wikipedia, ‘At its most basic, Guanxi describes a personal connection between two people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favor or service, or be prevailed upon. The two people need not be of equal social status. Guanxi can also be used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another. In addition, Guanxi can describe a state of general understanding between two people: he/she is aware of my wants/needs and will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions which concern or could concern me without any specific discussion or request

Guanxi origins seem to be deep rooted in China’s communist regime. Under communist regimes before economic liberalization (the late 1980s and early 1990s) both China and the former Soviet Union ran shortage economies in which Communist party cadres exercised the power to control and distribute scarce resources and opportunities according to a rigid state planning system. In response to the inflexibility of this institutional arrangement, people had to develop patron–client relations with party cadres to obtain planned resources, to cope with uncertainties and to try to stay ‘alive in the bitter sea’ (Butterfield, F. (1982) China: Alive in the Bitter Sea. New York: Times Books.)

Similarly, Blat is a phenomenon that appeared in the Soviet Union to denote the use of informal agreements, exchanges of services, connections, party contacts, or black market deals to achieve results or get ahead.

Figure: Human relationship based networks are extremely dominant in various parts of the world

Wasta is a concept prevalent in the Arabic world, which is similar to Blat and Guanxi. From Wikipedia, Wasta or Wasata is an Arabic word that loosely translates into ‘clout’ or ‘who you know’. It refers to using one’s connections and/or influence to get things done, including government transactions such as the quick renewal of a passport, waiving of traffic fines, and getting hired for or promoted in a job.

Sociolismo, also known as amiguismo, meaning partner-ism or friend-ism, is the informal term used in Cuba to describe the reciprocal exchange of favors by individuals, usually relating to circumventing bureaucratic restrictions or obtaining hard-to-find goods.

Again, the intent of sharing these human relation networks is to give the reader a sense of how existent and powerful the social networks have been in our society, running in almost parallel to the existing hierarchical, political and economic structures in existence. They still wield equal if not more power and influence over the world as the formal structures.

So it is in the strongest interest and benefit of people, communities and corporations to understand the power of such networks, to be able to harness it them to good use rather than be overpowered by it.

Next, we present to you carefully selected people skill mantras, whose knowledge will empower you have a much better understanding of human relations.

Section I: The 50 Mantras

This section brings to light the 50 mantras that are thought jewels that we have plucked from the wisdom of years of research on human relations and people skills. These, when applied by people, employers, managers, leaders in all walks of life, have helped in increasing their effectiveness in dealing with people.

Some of these are recommended soft skills that have been tested over ages and proven for a lasting efficacy in the field of personal and professional human relations. They will enable individuals to strengthen themselves to achieve excellence in their performance and succeed in their chosen field of work.

They are needed not just for taking advantage of a situation but to empower one to build a much needed human behavioral dexterity. Identifying which skill is important for what situation is also an art but can be mastered with practice.

These concepts will help you become a people-smart executive, a people smart supervisor and a people smart leader.

So continue to read…

1. Identify stakeholders and accountabilities clearly and maintain positive relationship | ONE

This undoubtedly has to be the first mantra to succeed in the world of human relationships. People who fail in this aspect end up doing the right things with the wrong people, just because they did not clearly understand the key stakeholders. Stakeholders is used to describe everybody who has an interest in or a part to play or is impacted by whatever you do. These include colleagues, family, neighbors, superiors, customers and so on. Making them happy can be a real challenge and completing an activity with happy stakeholders is arguably one measure of success.

Lord Jesus Christ had said, ‘Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s and unto God the things that are God’s’. Never take on decisions that were never yours to make as you may have to live with the consequences, which you did not expect.

Every situation in this world has stakeholders. Identify the key stakeholders and never make the mistake of ignoring them

Employees, customers, stockholders, vendors, government, competitors, specialized communities, financial institutions and the general public are the key stakeholders in any socio economic environment.

Understand each stakeholder’s influence on the other and how each governs the chances of the success of your aspirations and endeavor.

Employees are not mere tools of your business. They are key stakeholders. As someone has said, ‘Take great care of your people, they will take great care of your customers and your customers will come back, again and again’.

People tend to compare their jobs. For many journalists working in different newspapers across India, a job in The Hindu is a sinecure. I asked a journalist why? Because they give you free tea and coffee throughout the day. They give you clothes along with the annual bonus. They take good care of your health.

That is why the rate of staff attrition at The Hindu is minimal as a majority of those who enter service choose to work with the organization till their retirement.

Ensure the availability of timely, credible and comprehensive information of the capabilities and the options open to each stakeholder. This will show them that you value them and their opinion.

Determine how key stakeholders’ strategies might affect current project interests.

Identify influencers and decision makers, and learn to strike a positive relationship with them.

A situation where all the stakeholders were not properly identified occurred in a small factory making domestic radiators in a remote corner of Donegal, Ireland. In those days, the roads were very bad and the product got damaged in transit. Clients were furious. The delivery lorry driver became a stakeholder when he was blamed for not driving carefully enough. Product designers, engineers and manufacturing experts were all called in for advice but could not find the problem. Nobody, however, thought to talk to the stakeholder closest to the situation: the lorry driver. He knew that the roads were bad and that better packaging was the clear solution.

2. First impressions are important | TWO

In the world of personal and professional relationships, this can be a make or break factor for whatever you are trying to accomplish.

According to communications professor Michael Sunnafrank, people tend to draw conclusions about someone within as little as three minutes of having met them.

In the field of social and professional encounters, the first impression is the last impression. But without a doubt, the first impression is a long-lasting impression. And it may need a long ime and consistent effort to change that. So why not make an effort to be great in the first chance that is provided to us.

Opinion is created on the basis of your appearance, your hand shake, your body language and how you are dressed.

None of the traits are cosmetic. You can almost modify all these traits in a manner to get a favorable response from the event

However, remember, sometimes how things look on the outside depends on how things are on the inside. Therefore, it may not always be possible to present a pleasant outward appearance while the inward realities are to the contrary.

A person’s handshake and body language will not ooze the confidence that is not there in his personality.

Those who deceive others through feigned soft skills will soon fall from grace as they cannot pretend for long that which is not in them.

Things to be sure of in the first