Negativity can be difficult to deal with and if you are not careful it can sap your own energy. However, you can learn to talk to negative people.

By Vikas Agarwal

1. Avoid them  The first thing you might want to do with negative people is avoid them. If they always seem to lack hope and make negative or derogatory remarks, then they are probably someone that you don't want to have in your life. You may have to be strong and cut off contact with someone who is habitually negative.  However, it is not always possible to avoid negative people; sometimes you just have to deal with them, and here is how to do that and remain positive yourself. 

2. Realize what the problem is  Too often when we meet negative people, we blame ourselves for the problem. We think we didn't make them like us or we did something to upset them. That is not always the case.  If you analyze your communication and you find no fault, and that you maintained a polite, respectful and positive attitude and you were still met with negativity, accept that you are not to blame and that the other person has to take the responsibility for their own negativity.

3. Ask what's wrong  If you are met with a negative attitude, sometimes (more often than not) it can be fixed if you approach it in the right manner.  So, do not be judgemental, but ask politely and calmly, "is something wrong?" or "you seem upset; why is that?" The person with the negative attitude may actually be glad of the opportunity to talk about how they are feeling and this is often the fastest way to resolve the negativity.

4. Remain positive  Don't let the other person's negativity drag you down and make you negative too. Sometimes you will meet people who revel in being negative. It's like a game to them and they will enjoy countering everything you say. Don't let that get to you and make you negative too.  You and you alone are responsible for how you feel. You have the power to choose whether to allow someone else's negative attitude to affect you badly.  In that respect, you have to accept that conversations are two-way processes and let go of your need to control everything about how the conversation goes. Unfortunately, you don't get to do that so give up trying to control every aspect of the conversation. It may be that you can't turn it around and make them positive, in every instance.

5. Be encouraging  It could be that the person who is habitually negative is actually depressed and needs professional help. Especially if you know this person well, you could be sensitive but suggest that they seek help for how they are feeling.  

Study Tips for Management Students

By Anil Pundir

1. Learning style
   Some people work best in the (early) morning, while others excel in the evening. Some like background music, while others insist on silence. Some like to work in small groups, while others prefer to work alone. And so on.

Whatever your personal learning style is, chances are that you will do best by following it, rather than going against it. Obviously, this may not be possible at all times; but you can often improve your results by finding out which learning style works best for you, then stick to it when you can.

2. Problems in learning
   As much as 80% of the information that enters your short term memory will be forgotten again within 24 hours, without ever making it into your long term memory, which is where you would like it to end up... However, there are several things that you can do to help you remember important facts over a longer period of time.

It can also help to involve as many senses as possible. For example, you can read a text; then read it out loud, so that you can also hear it; and finally write it down yourself, to involve your "kinetic memory". Of course, by doing so, you will automatically be applying the principle of repetition.

3. How to learn
   There's a well-known system that goes by the name of SQ3R because of its components: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.

Survey: Before you actually read a chapter, take some time to "survey" it. Read the headings and the subheadings to get a quick idea of what the text will be about. Scan the introduction and the conclusion, if present.

Question: Ask yourself one or two questions about the material. What are the main points of the chapter? What are the key things you'd like to get out of reading it? By asking yourself this question, you have created an active purpose for reading the text --you will be looking for answers, which will help you keep your interest, and will also help with retention.

Read: Now that you've surveyed the text and asked yourself a key question, go ahead and actually read the text. Be active, not passive; highlight important points, and from time to time jot down a quick summary in your own words.

Recite: After you have read a few pages, stop and formulate answers to the questions you have asked yourself in the second step. Check the text to see if your answers are indeed correct. If you can't remember what you have read, or if your answers are wrong, go back to the previous step and re-read the text.

Review: That's just our old friend, repetition, under a different name. Every now and then, return to the chapter and review your notes and the key points you have highlighted. You can expect much better results from regular revisions than from a one-time cramming session (say: the night before the exam...)!

You may think that following this method takes more time than just reading the chapter once --and you'd be right: your initial reading will take around 10-15% more time. However, research indicates that you'll remember around 70% more after two months if you use the SQ3R method!

Author is Sr. Lecturer (department of Management Studies) Doon College of Agri. Science & Tech. Selaqui Dehradun.

How self confidence impacts your leadership

By Anil Pundir

Coaching clients in senior roles is often necessary because they lack self confidence. As a result, they are not seen as leaders. Instead, they all seem to have one quality in common. They all have a fear of making the necessary decision required of their position. Self perception affects everyone in both their personal and professional lives. However, for individuals in positions of authority, it’s important to understand how self confidence impacts your leadership.

Why Self Confidence is Vital in Leadership

People tend to gravitate toward those that possess self confidence. If the supervisor is confident in his/her decisions, the subordinates are more likely to concur. Without this attribute, the internal structure of any business will degrade, as employees start to second-guess the management. It can lead to strife in the workplace and the loss of valuable human assets.

An individual with self confidence does not know all the answers or “lords it over” employees. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Self-confident leaders build up others and find satisfaction in their workers’ personal and professional growth. Their strength is in helping others become successful. A person with self confidence is:

· Able to admit mistakes and learn from them.

· Able to take risks to achieve more.

· Able to do what is right, despite the lack of popular opinion.

· Able to accept compliments graciously.

· Unwilling to seek out personal accolades.

Self confident leaders are a pleasure to work for, because they are more interested in developing a cohesive and well-ordered work environment. The employees work well together, stress is minimized, and employees are encouraged to excel and use their strengths to improve productivity and achieve their career goals.

How to Build Self Confidence

Although there is no magic pill for building self confidence and it doesn’t happen overnight, you can achieve this personal and professional goal, if you make the effort. It will not be easy. You will basically have to change the way you think and develop a new personal perspective.

Begin by acknowledging your achievements. Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, think about all that you have accomplished over the years both personally and professionally. There is nothing wrong with giving yourself a mental pat on the back. Recognize the effort and hard work it took to get you where you are today.

Next, consider your strengths. Where do you excel both personally and professionally? Everyone has areas in which they need to improve. But, you don’t dwell on your weaknesses. You concentrate on when you are at your best.

Think about your goals. What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to go in your personal life or in the workplace? Consider what you need to do, in order to get there.

Now, it’s time for the really hard part. In order to build self confidence, you must learn to manage your mind. Do not dwell on the negative self-talk. It’s time to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Catch yourself, when you start to dwell on your weaknesses. Stop. Then, go back and think about your accomplishments, your strengths, and how you are going to achieve your personal and professional goals. With practice, you will build the self confidence necessary to excel in leadership within the workplace.

Author is Sr. Lecturer (Department of Management Studies) Doon College of Agri. Science & Tech. Selaqui, Dehradun

College Drinking and Drugs !!

By Nikhil Mishra

Once a year a new group of young adults join the ranks of the free, breaking out of their parent's nests to explore the world on their own and join group of other young people on college campus.This is a time for learning new things and meeting new friends. Unfortunately, for many college students, this is also a time for experimentation with alcohol and drugs, an ever-increasing problem on college campuses nationwide.

Below are some datas which shows the future of college education :-

Every year approximately...

(1). 1,400 college students are killed due to alcohol-related injuries

(2). 70,000 college students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

(3). 100,000 college students report being too intoxicated to remember if

they consented to sexual intercourse.

(4). 2.1 million college students report driving while intoxicated.

(5). 110,000 college students are involved with law enforcement because

of intoxication (either public intoxication or drunk driving).

(6). 25 percent of college students suffer academic consequences because

of alcohol-related problems.

(7). 31 percent of college students meet criteria for substance abuse and

6 percent for alcohol dependence.

But is there really anything a parent can do when their son or daughter is so far away from home? Absolutely! It can all be summarized with this: Talk to your kids about making responsible decisions. The influence that a serious discussion about alcohol and its consequences or a phone call once a day to see how things are can make a difference for many young adults. At first they may blow you off and insist that you're bugging them but if you are persistent they may refer to your advice one day when they have a choice to make: responsible or irresponsible.

few things for parents to keep in mind

1. Let your son or daughter know that you're available if they need help,

even if it is just to talk.

2. Talk about the facts of alcohol and effects of drinking as well as reasons

not to drink.

3. Tell them how to find help on campus for themselves or a friend.

4. Make sure they know the penalties for underage or excessive drinking.

5. Stay in contact once college starts. Ask how they're feeling, ask about

their experiences, roommates and friends and if they're enjoying

activities and classes.

This is a wonderful time for college sudents and they should be able to enjoy it. They will enjoy it more and get along better in the world after college if they learn and choose to be responsible now and know that their parents are always there for them.

Author is second year student of B.A ( mass communication) at Doon (PG) college of agriculture science & tech, Selakui, Dehradun.

Leadership: Organization Ethos vs. Warrior Ethos

By Vikas Agarwal

While the U.S. Army's Warrior Ethos may look entirely unrelated to civilian organizations, the
concepts behind it are perhaps an idea role-model for all organizations.

Warrior Ethos

The Warrior Ethos are four principles of conduct extracted from the Soldier's Creed:

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

While we normally picture a warrior as someone engaged or experienced in warfare, the U.S.
Army pictures it more as someone who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity,
cause, or conflict. Thus it becomes the foundation of soldiers in both peacetime and periods of
conflict.

Ethos is the spirit (esprit d' corps), moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a community or individual.

I will always place the mission first

Missions are basically an organization's means of living out its visions. For example, in 1982,
Johnson & Johnson was confronted with a crisis when seven people died after ingesting Tylenol
capsules laced with cyanide. News traveled quickly and caused a nationwide panic.

I don't think they can ever sell another product under that name. There may be an advertising
person who thinks he can solve this and if they find him, I want to hire him, because then I want
him to turn our water cooler into a wine cooler. — Advertising genius, Jerry Della Femina as
told to the New York Times right after the crises.

However, Johnson & Johnson won the public's heart and trust with its commitment to protecting
its customers during the Tylenol poisoning crises. They dealt with the crises by living their
corporate business philosophy — Our Credo (similar to an ethos in that it defines one's system
of values and beliefs). It was crafted in the 1940's by Robert Wood Johnson who believed that
businesses have responsibilities to society. The credo stressed that it was important for them to
be responsible in working for the public interest.

Thus, they approached the crises by living their Credo. From the start of the crises they:

• informed the public and medical community

• established relations with the Chicago Police, FBI, and the Food and Drug
Administration

• stopped production of Tylenol

• recalled all Tylenol capsules from the market

• immediately put up a reward of $100,000 for the killer

In turn, the media did much of the company's work by praising Johnson & Johnson's socially
responsible actions. Johnson & Johnson's top management put customer safety first, NOT their
company's profit or other financial concerns. In other words, they did the right thing. At first, it is
easy to believe that such a move was against the best interest of the company's stockholders, but
when you put customers and employees first, it actually benefits the stockholders in the long run.

Johnson & Johnson has effectively demonstrated how a major business ought to handle
a disaster. This is no Three Mile Island accident in which the company's response did
more damage than the original incident. What Johnson & Johnson executives have done is
communicate the message that the company is candid, contrite, and compassionate, committed to
solving the murders and protecting the public. — Jerry Knight, The Washington Post on October
11, 1982.

Once the crises ended, they started actions to put their organization back on track:

• New Tylenol capsules were introduced in November with triple-seal tamper resistant
packaging

• Provided $2.50 coupons that were good towards the purchase of any Tylenol product

• Over 2,250 sales people made presentations to people in the medical community

Johnson & Johnson could have disclaimed any possible link between Tylenol and the seven
sudden deaths. In other similar cases, companies put themselves first and ended up doing more
damage to their reputations than if they had immediately taken responsibility for the crisis. For
example, traces of benzene were found in Source Perrier's bottled water. Rather than holding
themselves accountable for the incident, they claimed that the contamination resulted from
an isolated incident and recalled a limited number of Perrier bottles in North America. When
benzene was found in Perrier bottled water in Europe, an embarrassed Source Perrier had to
announce a worldwide recall on the bottled water and were immediately criticized for having
little integrity and for disregarding public safety.

Lesson learned: Discover your vision, set your mission, and then live by it

The author is Head of Department of Managment at Doon PG college of Agri Science & Tech., at Selaqui, Dehradun.

सभी पाठको को लोहरी की शुभकामनाएँ .

Preasure of studies and scoring good marks

By Aditi Khanduri

Gone are those days!

and gone are those feelings!

When parents used to be happy on saying "pappu pass ho gaya". today no parent wants their child to just pass the class, they want their child to be among the toppers and this pressure has created an unhealthy competition . Studies have extended the boundaries of its meaning , it do not just mean to gain knowledge but it has become a battle which every student wants to win "by hook or by crook " .

Preassure of scoring high marks have been created by the parents and family as if their prestige in the society depends on the percentage scored by their child. Another mean which dumps the child into the pressure is the competitive world and the fear of getting a good college or a good job with a low percentile.

These a days marsheets have become the identity of a student. But why do we forget that elbert einstine never had an "A" grade marksheet but his achievements are appaulsed by everyone.

Studies have become a "hot case" whose pressure many a times forces a student to commit suicide .Dippression is a common problem which can be seen in the students due to low percentage or faliure in exams. At such a tight corner of life there is a need for family and friends to come up and support the child so that he could come up and die-hard fpor next time .

We all are part of this society and its our respomnsibility to improve the mental level of the society. Percentage should not be consiere a matter of prestige . Success and faliures comes in every ones life its on you how you celebrate your success and fights with your faliures.

The author is first year student of B.A (Mass Communication) at Doon(P.G) college of agri. science and tech, Selakui. Dehradun.