Success Guide

for Team Members

A Product by
Satyam Learning Center (SLC)

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Introduction
Why are some team members successful and some not successful? What do successful team members do differently from ordinary team members? What do managers look for in team members? If these are some questions that are bothering you, this document will provide you the answers. To create value to our stakeholders, we as an

Organization chose a path The SatyamWay. The foremost thing that one needs to do to be successful in the role he/she plays is to live the SatyamWay. We present to you 10 essential strategies that will make you successful. These strategies are proven by research, validated by many senior leaders from the business units and more importantly are influenced by the SatyamWay. Give your 100% to practice and master these strategies. And success will be yours. If you can lay your head on your pillow each night knowing you gave hundred per cent to your day, success will find you. - Russell L. Mason

10 Essential Strategies for Success

1.
Thinking Critically

Thinking ensures the attention to detail that minimizes defects and the need to do things twice to ensure higher quality of delivery. (SatyamWay, p.70)

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As information becomes a larger part of the world we live in, critical thinking has become an essential skill for making sense of the world. But what exactly is critical thinking? Its more than just having an opinion on something. It includes: Gathering all the pertinent data and identifying the important elements. Sorting information by relevance what matters the most for the task at hand. Evaluating Making information sense of to detect or trends or patterns. disparate conflicting information. Recognizing the assumptions inherent in the data. Anticipating the consequences of a course of action.

You will be expected to think critically and make decisions about your work, not just to follow a team leaders instructions. Having solid critical-thinking skills means youll be more confident in your ability to handle the autonomy that comes your way as you grow in the organization. 2. Performing with Integrity

Associates should maintain high standards of professional integrity and follow appropriate codes of conduct when working at customer locations (SatyamWay, p.198) Associates must follow the legal and ethical standards of Satyam and/or the home country of the concerned workplace (SatyamWay, p.202)
Honesty at work is just one aspect of integrity. Integrity is a value system that should guide an associate in his day to day activities and in situations where he/she has to make a tough decision to make. Performing with integrity means:

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Accepting responsiblity for your actions, including your mistakes. Keeping your word and following through. Making principled decisions based on personal and professional ethics. Following the golden rule treating others as you would like to be treated. Acting consistently and transparently in all your dealings. 3. Communicating Effectively

Communicating means sharing information with our stakeholders and listening to their feedback. The information we share should be relevant, timely, clear and concise (SatyamWay, p.70)
Effective communicating is yet another skill that set a successful associate apart and another rung in the ladder to success. What are the facets that make up effective communication? Communicating effectively means: Writing and speaking clearly and persuasively. Listening welland Interpreting what you hear accurately. Delivering the right message to your audience at the right time and in the right manner. Presenting yourself and your message in a compelling manner. Workplace communication should follow the rules of professionalism. It should be objective, thoughtful, balanced, and considerate. In a meeting, for example, its polite to validate input from fellow members even though your remarks may disagree with theirs. The same guidelines apply to casual conversation at work. What you do and sayand writeis a reflection upon your maturity. It is

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essential to know the audience and their expectations as well as the best way to communicate the message.

4.

Managing Time and Priorities

The value we create for customers and investors is through the use of our time and hence the adage time is money is very appropriate for us (SatyamWay, p.150)
You have number of activities that seek your time. How do you keep it all in control? Whether youre lost without your Day Planner or great at remembering it all in your head, the way you juggle your tasks, other responsibilities and how often you deliver on your commitments on time is a good indicator of how you manage your time in the workplace. Managing your time and priorities is more than just being a slave to your planner. Be proactive to better manage your time and you should be able to: Break large projects down into more manageable tasks. Develop a logical plan for tackling the job. Decide whats IMPORTANT and what can wait. Stay on task and avoid distractions. Adjust to changes in the plan. In the workplace, your time and priorities affect others. Multitasking is expected. Most jobs require managing several assignments simultaneously. The trick is intertwining complementary tasks while keeping other projects going when you cant focus on them directly. Become disciplined with your time. Make to-do list, carry a Day Planner whatever works for you.

5.

Acquiring Knowledge

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Ask Questions and seek answers to them from your experience or other sources. Document the knowledge assimilated and convert it into a competence (SatyamWay, p.81)
Constant updating of knowledge is one key to a successful career especially in a technology-based companies where the only thing that is a certainty is change itself. The keys to Knowledge acquisition are: Absorbing ideas and facts in all types of situations. Finding and validating information, including sorting the good from the bad. Connecting related information and seeing the links between ideas. Striking a balance between understanding a large concept and mastering the nuances. Keeping an open, active mind.

6. Solving Problems

The only way to do anything is the best possible way (SatyamWay, p.82)
A structured approach to problem solving goes a long way to ensure that you are successful in handling the problems and problematic situations that you may be faced with during your professional career. A structured approach ensures that problems are solved in a context of the work life. A structured approach also ensures that all aspects of a problem are addressed and the solution meaningful and effective. The following are guidelines for a structured approach: Define the context of the problem. Gather information from reliable sources. View the problem from multiple perspectives, not just your own. Develop and test hypotheses.

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Approach the situation with a positive attitude. Collaborate with others to develop well-rounded solutions. Envision a successful resolution.

7. Contributing to a Team

Satyam believes that associates perform best in environment that permits freedom of expression and an air of informality. (SatyamWay, p.205) Ideas should be evaluated on their merits subject to basic rules of politeness not based on the person voicing them. This is a true reflection of the belief that every Satyamite is leader. Satyam discourages hierarchical barriers and associates are free to reach out to one another in the company. (SatyamWay, p.205)
Individual performance is an important aspect of a persons success in his/her career. Equally important is the ability to be a team player. A significant percentage of an individuals professional time is spent as part of a team. Contributing to the success of the team is just as important as finishing your own task effectively. Team playing involves: Defining consensus. Knowing your role and how it connects with those of your teammates. Lveraging the strengths of each member to the teams advantage. Leading and supporting as the situation demands. common goals and building

8. Developing Professional Competencies

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Create an environment of continuous learning (SatyamWay, p.81)

Professional competencies are the tangible abilities that you bring to your job and form the basis of your role in the organization. There are two aspects to professional competency. One the basic knowledge required to perform the role and the other the skill to transform the knowledge into concrete action on the job. Both are not static especially in a world that is changing as fast as it is today. A lifelong commitment to learning is one way to continuously developing professional competencies. Developing professional competencies means: Mastering the tools and techniques of ones craft. Acquiring formal training; respecting professional and technical standards. Knowing the potential and the limits of a method or practice, as well as its best applications. Continually upgrading skills and keeping abreast of new competencies.

9. Develop Diversity Competence

A friendly work environment free from prejudices, preferences, ill-treatment and harassment based on race, color, caste, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability or ancestry, etc., is assured at all times (SatyamWay, p.208)
Recognize your own uniqueness. Society has grown to appreciate differences in ethnicity, socio-economic status, religious affiliation, and many other characteristics that define our individual identities. Each person represents a complex fusion of these dimensions, and no two people have the same composition. Discovering the multiple facets that shape your identity helps you see the diversity you represent.

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Dialog is the best way to understand someone. That means hearing what others have to say, validating their perspective, and being honest about your own ignorance. Through open communication, people discover mutual interests and common ground, and they often realize there are more similarities than differences. Why Diversity Matters The increasing emergence of a global economy makes diversity a central facet of work life. It pervades relationships between employees, shapes the work environment, informs the vision of the organization, and affects the way a company interacts with customers, partners, and investors. Diversity as Strength Teams composed of members with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives usually perform better because each member of the group brings a unique perspective to the issue at hand. They are more capable of responding to an array of circumstances and drawing on different skills as the situation demands. Theyre also better at seeing the full complexity of an issue. In short, they produce a better solution.

10. Embracing Change

Thinking means preparing for tomorrow. In other words, when we talk about Thinking, we are talking about our ability to plan for the future and chart out detailed action plans so that we realize the full potential of our ideas (SatyamWay, p.70)
Every aspect of life is in a constant state of change. Keeping up to the changing environment in itself is a major challenge, but is an essential and inevitable part of professional life today. One has to develop an ability to both recognize and deal with change. Some aspects of dealing with change are:

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Accepting change as inevitable and persistent- you cannot avoid it. Recognizing that change is cyclical in nature. Seeing change as an opportunity instead of a setback. Understanding how other people respond to change. Helping others move forward in times of change.

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