Finding your true North star - Prof. Kaipa

Got an opportunity to attend a session on 'Finding your true North Star' by Prof. Prasad Kaipa.

The 4 point, 8 question analysis:
Point 1: Happiness

1. Am I happy doing the the job that I am doing now?
2. What kind of happiness/joy do I bring to people around me?

Point 2: Skills and competencies

1. Am I using my skills and competencies in the current job?
2. Can I learn the skills and competencies required for the current job from the people around?

Point 3: Serve as a motto

1. Do I feel that I am serving others by doing this job?
2. Do I feel that other people serve me in my job?

Point 4: Needs

1. Am I meeting my needs - financial, emotional, intellectual, relational, etc?
2. Does your job meets someone else's need?

How to use this questionnaire:
Score the above 8 question on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being high and 1 being low and try to improve the scores on each questions. The objective should be two fold:

• Improve the scores of each question. This would increase your performance.
  
• Reduce the difference in sum of all Q1 and Q2. This would ensure balance in your role and others role for you.

When you have scored total of 80 points, you are operating from your true north star.

4 important things while working towards your true north star:

1. Awareness: Be aware of the happenings around you. Else you will always operate in auto pilot mode.
2. Attention: Pay attention to the feedback you receive from others. While giving feedback, talk about positive also. What you appreciates get appreciated and what you depreciates gets depreciated. This will also enhance your EQ
   
3. Take action: Act on things that you have been procrastinating. We normally act on routine activities, but that is not sufficient. Activities with give you busy-ness but action would give business.
4. Reflect: Do self introspection of your success and failures. Also force people around you to to introspect, you can do that through GPS - guilt, pride and shame.

Some more profound thoughts by Prof. Kaipa

• IQ will make you efficient; EQ will make you effective.

• Life is not about efficiency; it is about redundancy.

• IQ will help you get a job; EQ will help u get a promotion.

• We often have thoughts; but we do not think often. Converting thoughts to action will force you to think.

• Journey of life is never straight, it is spiral.

Some more examples on points stated above:

• Hoarding of information would attract people to me. Does this mean that I will score high in case of this ? No. People should come to you even otherwise, such as discuss problems, ask advice, etc.
• Post a picture of what you want on a mirror.
• Break the goals in small goals.
  

To conclude: True north is a state of mind. Try operating from your true north.