Want to be a leader? Here’s how-

At some point or the other in our life, we all aspire to be a leader..right? But what does it take to be a good leader? Have you ever pondered over this? Well, some of us are born with leadership skills, like we are naturally good at taking prompt and prudent decisions, keeping people together in the midst of challenges or simply giving good support and direction to fellow mates. But what about those who lack such skills but wish to be a leader themselves? For them, it’s important that they develop such skills and abilities over time, so that they can prove to be a good worthy leader in their respective arena! So, if you too want to be leader, then follow these points to bring out the leader in you –

1. Be a good communicator- The foremost point of focus is to develop good communication skills. For this, you must not be a good speaker only who can put across his point properly, give instructions appropriately, offer meaningful advice but is even more imperative that you be a good listener too. You must have the patience to listen to what the other person has to share. This will enable you to develop better understanding with your team members.
2. Handle situations calmly – When everyone else gives up, it is the leader who serves as the fuel to begin again with much greater courage and composure! This is the mark of an effective leader. So, work on the habit of dealing with difficult situations with a calm and composed mind. Instead of fixing the blame, start fixing all the problems you encounter in your daily routine!
3. Set a good example – Yes, develop a persona that has an uplifting effect on others. For setting a good example that the team can follow, you are not always supposed to all the right things, but more importantly do all the things in the right way, with the right frame of mind. Think out of the box, be sincere and honest towards your work and fellow members, be punctual and deliver more than you say! Let your actions do all the talking. This way you’ll be admired and looked up to by other people!
4. Take initiative- Start taking initiative in any situation. Be the kind of person who is pro active and grabs opportunities to use them to the best. This requires prudence and risk taking attitude. Develop an alert mind that is open to everything. Do not let your pre conceived notions about anything hold you back from trying new things!
5. Maintain unity – The most important trait of a leader is how they keep everyone around them in a team together. A leader takes everyone along by showing them the direction. Develop an understanding attitude along with having a firm approach to keep everyone enthusiastic and disciplined towards work. A single person taking a thousand steps will bring less change than a thousand people taking one big step. So, give importance to inter personal relations.

Here’s wishing you lots of good luck…be a leader and shine in your own unique way! 😀

Click here for government certification in Human Resources

The post How to be a good leader? appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Well, this must be sounding absurd to you, but after I give a little explanation of why a market is like a circus, then I’m sure you would agree with me!

So, to begin with, I would want to ask you that what is a market?

Is it just some fixed geographical place where the sellers and the buyers carry out exchange of goods and services for money?

No, it is much more than that!  It is not just a geographical place but can be any arena where marketing activities are carried out…be it through the internet, television, telephone or the traditional market set up. And it includes not just exchange activities but also the other allied activities that support the main exchange like advertising, personal selling, promotional events etc.

Marketing is a very interesting field that breeds on skills like creativity, inter personal abilities, pro active approach and a risk taking attitude. Becoming a marketer, you’ve got to be on your toes all the time, because you not just have to take care of your own offering to the consumers but also be alert and aware of what your competitors are doing.

And that is lends an amusing touch to this field. I mean just look around and you’ll see how different brands and their respective marketers are fighting it out in the market.

Just like in a circus, how the circus artists employ different stunts and tricks to entertain the audience, similarly the marketers carry out different promotional tricks and ways to keep their already existing customers on their side while also trying to win new potential customers. They do this by way of offering huge discounts, gifts, quantity offers, coupons etc. And further, they also leave no stone unturned to increase their product visibility through online campaigns, catchy and attractive advertisements using famous celebrities as their faces ( just like circus people use animals 😛 ), grand openings to launch their products etc. Every single marketer is trying to make a niche for his product by employing these so called ‘gimmicks’.

As for us, the buyers…we’re enjoying the show, right? But sometimes, such great competition among different brands can make buying decisions a challenge for the customers too, as to which one should they go for. But then we can’t complain, after all we get good choice and good quality products. What more can we ask for! And this circus like competition also ensures that the marketers always keep it in mind that it is the customer who is the king of the market and satisfying them should be their focal point.

So, let the marketers carry on with their circus, and let’s all enjoy the show and make the best buying decisions. 😀

Click here for government certification in Marketing

The post Market circus appeared first on Vskills Blog.

These are just 3 words..but they embrace within them one of the most important fact of this universe! Everything is temporary…nothing stays forever. It is like an omnipresent truth that applies to the rich, poor, cowards, courageous and every single being.

Joy, sorrows, success, failure, fame, relations, even our existence for that matter..nothing is permanent!  If there’s anything that is constant, then it is change itself which makes everything impermanent and ever changing.

But have you realized that this fact gives us both, a reason to rejoice and a reason to lament. In times of joy and success when we’re surrounded with good things, thinking about this fact can make us upset that how things won’t be the same forever and they’ll soon change. But thinking about the same fact in times of distress, this can give a person assurance that the times will soon change and he’ll be out of that situation.

There are a lot of times when we’re either all by ourselves or even surrounded by many people, and a sudden thought comes up, about how life will take its turn and soon the faces around us at present will be replaced by new ones, our surroundings will be different, we will be a changed person and in short our life would be very different from what it is at present. It is because everything in life has a purpose…the people, the situations all come in our life at a point where they either change us, teach us or just play their part in some way or the other. Honestly, sometimes this looks like the most interesting side of life. Because the twists, turns, change of events, coming and going of people from our life is why we look forward to each day as a surprise. If every day was the same and our life was always the same, then it would make things dull and drab, right?

So, to deal with this, we need to go with the flow and should try to always live the present moment to the best. If you’re in a happy phase, celebrate like a rockstar. But also remember, that if you’re in a tough situation, then deal with it like the strongest being alive…so that you never regret anything and always look back at life with the feeling that so what if life is changing, it’s only getting better and brighter!

Another thing which I personally ponder a lot about and would like to share with you all is that since we know that as life moves on, people who surround us also change…closest of friends become distant, some people pass away including our parents and closed ones, some leave from our life on their own, with some we lose touch….so what is important is that we cherish each and every individual who’s been and who’s still a part of our life. Be it our parents, friends, cousins, relatives..show them how much you love them NOW, because who knows where life takes you or them in the next moment. Play all your roles to the very best. Make each individual in your life truly count. This will give both you and them, immeasurable joy.

So, in the end, I just want to say life is passing by and changing its colours every moment, let’s get up and make the most of every single thing that makes it up! 😀

Click here for government certification in Life Skills

The post Nothing is permanent in life! :D appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Some habits one must develop –

Here are some habits, each one of us needs to develop, to live life a little better…These are just some I could think of, you sure can add more and develop them in you life to live your life in the best way possible! SO, here they go-

1. Learn to prioritize things on hand and then go accordingly. This will simplify things a lot and help you deliver good results.
2. Get into the habit of trying new things every now and then, however absurd or challenging they may seem at first. The joy of trying new things is amazing! Though, a caveat here- Don’t take disadvantage of this! :p But the idea behind this is that we have just one life…let’s make the most of it. 😀

3. Stay hydrated at all times. Yes, believe it or not. But this works wonders. Water energizes the cells and tissues of the body instantly, and makes you feel rejuvenated. So, drinking water after short intervals can help you regain strength and vitality and make you feel less drained out.
4. Reduce your phone addiction- Well, this goes for almost everyone in today’s world, for we are all glued to it 24*7. That phone that you treat like your new born giving it all your attention, is doing damage to your health, your relationships in ways unnoticed. So, check your usage.
5. Learn to plan your expenditures and also keep a record of where you spend your money. A lot many of us may be doing it already and that’s really a good thing! But those of us who spend money mindlessly or without any record or planning usually end up spending more than we intend too. So, next time you get your pocket money, make sure you keep a record.
6. Spend time with yourself- Make it a habit that every day, you take out at least 5 minutes to be just with your thoughts and ideas. This will give you a chance to reflect on yourself, your life and will help you develop a connection with yourself.
7. Express you gratitude and love to all those who matter. Life is short and uncertain too. I’m sure you don’t want to live with regret that you couldn’t tell them enough that how much they meant to you! With simple gestures, go show them how much they mean to you.
8. Lastly, smile often! Yes, make this your favourite habit. We’re all endowed with great strength and courage to face adversities. So, good times or bad times, let’s face each day with a big broad smile my friend! 😀

Click here for government certifications

The post Some habits that one needs to develop! appeared first on Vskills Blog.

GST i.e the Goods and Services tax is a value added tax or an indirect tax which will be levied on manufacturing, sale and consumption of goods and services. It is being considered as a major improvement over the pre existing central excise duty at national level and sales tax at state level.

The discussion on GST was first started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000 when an empowered committee was set up in this regard. Then in 2014, the bill was introduced in the lower house of the parliament by finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Now, finally this tax will be imposed from April 2016. It aims at being comprehensive for all goods and services and will replace all other indirect taxes levied by Central and State government.

Also, since India is a federal nation, this tax will be implemented concurrently by Central and State government as Central GST and State GST. Under this reform, exports will be zero rated and imports will be levied the same taxes as domestic goods and services adhering to the destination principles.

If you see the other nations and compare, then Singapore and New Zealand tax virtually everything at one rate. Indonesia has about 5 positive rates. Also seeing the tax scenario in Canada, one can only expect potentially good results in India after this reform, as when Canada replaced its earlier tax structure with GST then it observed an increase of 24 percent in its GDP.

Touted as a breakthrough and a logical step towards comprehensive indirect tax reform by some, this has again ignited a debate. The best GST systems across the world use a single GST, while India has opted for a dual-GST model. Critics claim that CGST, SGST and IGST are nothing but new names for Central Excise/Service Tax, VAT and CST, and hence GST brings nothing new to the table. So, now we not just as tax payers but also as spectators need to see how well this new reform proves to be. Let’s hope for some positive results! 😀

Click here for government certification in Accounting, Banking & Finance

The post What is GST ? appeared first on Vskills Blog.

In life, every now and then, we are faced with situations where we need to make choices, those choices which can make all the difference. And those who make the right ones are sure on the right way, while the others lose their way in the maze!

Making the right choices will take you on a path that may look difficult and challenging but soon you’ll find it worth the pain and struggle. On the other hand, choosing the easy way out that you somewhere know isn’t the right path, may seem easy and fun for a while but that won’t take you anywhere.

Let’s understand this with something simple. Say, you know that your cholesterol levels are really high and that poses a great risk to your health. But what do you choose to do about it? Do you choose to make the effort to go for morning evening walks, cut down on your fat consumption no matter how much you love butter and cheese and get your check up done frequently?  Or, you simply ignore the whole thing because that’s a common problem these days and you’re too lazy to go for walks and leaving butter..aah that’s out of question for you! This was only a small example! But right from simple routine things to big life changing choices, we need to make them wisely!

If we always follow what pleases us, and base our choices on that, then we need to stop doing that. Carefully weighing the pros and cons of all our choices, seeing how they can change us and our life, and letting our mind and heart equally decide which way to go can help us make better choices!

So, in the end I just want to say that make choices that you can be proud of, starting from the very basic ones. After all, that’s how you’ll learn it! 😀

Click here for government certification in Life Skills

The post Making the right choices. appeared first on Vskills Blog.

They say, “Action speak louder than words!” And they’re right..because what are words until they aren’t put into actions. Do they hold any significance without showing the actuality of their realization? Clearly, no!

Most of us have this common tendency deep rooted in us that we speak a lot about what we wish to do, aspire to achieve but then when it comes to working for them, we do only half as much of what we announced. I myself have seen how I’m enthusiastic about sharing my high end dreams with people, but then when I sometimes ask myself that am I even working that hard to actually show the world that my words were not just empty promises to myself or my claims to achieve things, that I actually realize how we all say more but do less. This realization makes me want to get up and work much harder than I said I would.

If we could all change this habit of doing less than we said we would, or perhaps in simpler words focus more on our actions than just our words then we can all achieve great results. I mean just imagine, you decide to work hard in your exams and instead of just saying things out to people, you focus majorly on your actions, only to end up surprising yourself that how you could do so well. That would be an awesome feeling, right?

That’s the idea! Let your actions do the talking. Let them be a reflection of your strong ideals, determinations, dreams and aspirations! And remember, people who let their work do the talking are often more respected in the society than those who only know how to talk and not work.

So, let’s all change ourselves a little more with this principle of saying less and doing more, not to hide things from our peers but only to surprise ourselves in the end.Do more say less!  I’m up for this change, are you? 😀

Click here for government certification in Life Skills

The post Do more say less! :D appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Smiles, mischief, fun and learning are the words that come to our mind when think of childhood days, right? But are all kids fortunate enough to experience this joy of childhood in their life. Sadly, no! It is because some innocent children who are trapped in a vicious web of poverty are forced to get into labour work, right from a very young age to earn a living.

The child in this delicate age is like a seed that needs to be nurtured with love and care, so that just like a flower it can blossom fully into a healthy and capable person.

This great threat of child labour is plaguing the lives of millions of under privilege children which refers to the economically active population below the age of 14. These kids coming from poor backgrounds either themselves resort to early labour or fall into wrong hands and are misused. Either way, they lose their childhood. We see them working as domestic helps, engaged in hazardous work in factories, working as rag pickers and in many more deplorable ways. They are often made to work for long but are paid less wages.

We all see them at the red lights, around dumping areas and some of us even at our homes, but what do we do? Just look at them and think of them for a while with a little bit of sympathy! But have you ever thought that just like us, they too must be having dreams, aspirations and some desires to enjoy life a little more.

I know you must be thinking that how can we make a difference to their lives, but starting with even one young child we can change the scenario. Start with your domestic help’s kid who doesn’t go to school. Encourage her to send him to school and help them get the initial formalities done. Even this small effort on your part can save a future. As educated and privileged individuals ourselves, let’s reach out to our young friends who need just a little help from us. Are you ready to lend them a hand? 😀

Click here for government certifications

The post Child Labour appeared first on Vskills Blog.

Last year, soon after the Modi government was sworn in, Mr. Narendra Modi announced his vision of setting up 100 smart cities across India. And just the word smart gave us wonderful ideas, and left many of us wondering that what exactly did he mean by smart!

A smart city means a city equipped with basic infrastructure, to give a decent quality of life, a clean and sustainable environment through the application of smart solutions. Such a city would boast of assured water and electricity supply, sanitation, solid waste management, effective urban mobility, good and safe public transport, robust IT connectivity, e governance and the list goes on. Such a city would also give citizens a full chance to participate in the community development and also ensure their full safety and security.

Since the time, our honorable PM put across his vision, a race has been on among cities to land on that list and be given the ultimate smart transformation. Ministry of Urban development is compiling a list. The basic idea behind 100 smart cities mission is to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets, resources and infrastructure.

Smart solutions that the Modi government is trying to promote are as follows-

• Public information
• Grievance redressal
• 100 percent treatment of waste and water
• Electricity service delivery
• City’s engagement
• Renewable source of energy
• Smart parking
• Intelligent traffic management system

These smart solutions will change the way a city functions and the way people are accustomed to live in a lot of ways. The next step is the identification of those 100 cities. It has been decided that all states will get 1 city.

For carrying out this entire drive, Smart cities council India has been formed just like US based smart cities council.

After government announces guidelines, states will be asked to nominate names of cities for a city challenge competition. The selected 100 cities will get central funds worth 100 crore for the next 5 years.

This entire competition cum drive seems very exciting and promising. Let’s see which cities make it to the end and go through the transformation and become the super smart cities! 😀

Click here for government certifications

The post What is a Smart City? appeared first on Vskills Blog.

1

However, this year, in US West Coast cities, May Day March turned violent when crowds hurled bottles and wrenches at officers who responded with pepper spray and flash grenades.  Within a short span of time, the peaceful march became a scene of riot. Many people were arrested in the clashes and 3 officers even got hurt.

The situation was no better in Oakland where more than 100 windows of business houses, restaurants and banks along the route of the march were smashed. Several people were taken into custody overnight and many vehicles were damaged with one getting burnt.

In Portland too, demonstrators threw objects at officials and tried to force their way to the bridge. The officials in order to control them used pepper sprays and stun grenades, but in this process many officials themselves suffered injuries because of the objects being thrown at them.

In contrast to the violence in Seattle and other places, there were peaceful and celebratory demonstrations in Baltimore, after prosecutors brought charges against all the 6 officers who were involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray, the 25 year old man who died of spinal injuries suffered in police custody last month. People were dancing on top of cars as reported. But on Monday, city was rocked by looting and clashes.

It is a sad thing that a peaceful march for the welfare of the laborers turned so violent leading to so much destruction and distress among the people. Time and again, it has been proved that violence serves no purpose, yet we all resort to it, so humankind suffers. Let’s hope that such incidences do not happen again.

Click here for government certifications

The post May Day clashes in US west coast appeared first on Vskills Blog.