Published on August 31, 2022

Categories

blog

My Experience of the Business of Sports 101 Program

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date August 31, 2022
• No Comments on My Experience of the Business of Sports 101 Program

First and foremost, I identify as a Virat Kohli fan.

What intrigued me the most about the Business of Sports 101 program, a BRE experience which promised to explore the intersections between sports and entrepreneurship, was the chance to learn what makes Virat Kohli’s brand so effective. Having been an avid fan of the Indian batsman since his pre-captaincy years, watching his brand arc from a mouthy, aggressive young cricketer to a fiery, disciplined captain has been nothing short of an odyssey. Hence, while sitting down for this program, I was extremely excited to understand what makes his brand work and resonate with fans in the world’s largest cricket-loving nation.

What is the Business of Sports 101 program?

The Business of Sports 101 program is a Big Red Education experience which brings together business and sport. Conducted by mentors from the team of Rajasthan Royals and Deakin University, the program throws light on the strings which keep the sports industry running smoothly; and over a period of two weeks, the course gives its participants the ins and outs of sports marketing, sports science, finance, management, and sports media while connecting them to the best athletes, managers, and administrators in the business.

Across the program, participants explored different fields of sport business from sport management, sport organization, marketing, broadcasting, sport development, sport science through sport coaching. Each day, industry experts from across the sport business spectrum led the discussions, lending their personal experiences and trade secrets to the young sport entrepreneurs. They explored these varied careers through academic discussions in which they taught the students the foundations of their field, and answered any questions they had. Bringing an international perspective to the table, these globally acclaimed mentors studied these fields through both an Indian and global perspective; making the discussions more accessible and useful for the students.

The mentors also did not shy away from rallying along with students’ choice of sports, players, and topics of interest and exploring their fields through those points of access — for instance, during the session on Sport Analytics and Athlete Performance, the mentor, Dr Dan Dwyer, explained the difficulties athletes face while training under high pressure situations like huge crowds by introducing the example of student performance in school events, and how stressful it almost always is to deliver your best when a huge group of people—in this case, your parents, teachers, and friends—are expecting so much from you. Similarly, Dr Dwyer emphasized, it can often be stressful for players too to train and perform under huge stressors like a tournament semi-final, a huge crowd of fans, etc. These kinds of relatable examples across the program significantly enhanced the sessions’ impact, and left positive, long lasting impressions.

The students were also given the opportunity across the sessions to spend time with each other in groups and work through adjacent problem questions. Across the program, students ideated about varied issues, and designed possible solutions. As a part of the session on Sport Organization, conducted by Dr Steve Swanson and Pamm Phillips, they pooled their ideas to build an optimal sport organizational model which could be implemented in India. Different groups chose different sports, and tried to unknot logistical issues like cities, players, stakeholders, etc. Similarly, as a part of the session on Sport Marketing, conducted by Zameer Kochar, the Chief Marketing Officer at Rajasthan Royals, students were encouraged to ideate about different social media campaigns the Rajasthan Royals team can possibly execute to improve its brand.

Besides potential sports entrepreneurs, the mentors also interacted with the students like fans. They offered them both exciting sneak peeks into the behind-the-scenes of their favorite teams and players, and a better understanding of the role fans play in building and maintaining sports brands. Different mentors explored the fans’ positions from different perspectives like sport marketing, sport coaching, etc.; such that by the end of the program, students had a comprehensive idea of the importance of sport fans. By treating students as fans, the mentors were also able to more effectively build a bridge with them and bond over the primary reason why we were all present there – our passion for sports.

21st Century Skills: Colleges, Internships, & more!

By the end of the program, students felt capable of dipping their toes into the sport business industry through different avenues like university courses and internships. A Grade 9 student from Oberoi International School (OGC Campus), Daivik Mathur, said, “Big Red Education’s workshop provided me insight on the different requirements, skills, and strategies required to excel in the field of sport management.” 

Another young student, Diya Piramal, currently studying in Grade 11 at Dhirubhai Ambani International School attested, “The Business of Sports 101 course was extremely informative, enjoyable and interesting. The sessions were held by various field professionals who were able to guide us through their own experiences.” Students across the board found the Business of Sports 101 program to be an extremely exciting and useful stepping stone in their educational and professional journeys for the first-hand sports business experience they were offered and the exclusive networks to which they have now been granted access. 

At the end of these two fruitful weeks, the participants smoothly transitioned into working on their promised live projects with the Rajasthan Royals team. All the students were divided into three (3) groups; each group working on a different problem statement: 

1. How can Rajasthan Royals increase its merchandise revenue?
2. How can we increase Rajasthan Royals app usage during the off-season?
3. How can we create a new anthem for Rajasthan Royals which resonated with our players, Fan base and the state of Rajasthan?

It is an extremely exciting opportunity for anyone to work on live projects with the team of the IPL giant Rajasthan Royals; but especially for sports enthusiasts like these young students, it is truly one of the most exciting moments of their lives. Over the period of these projects, students have soaked up immeasurable knowledge and future-ready skills from industry experts. The sheer impact of this opportunity on their professional futures cannot be overstated. 

Big Red Education’s Business of Sports 101 program effectively introduced students to the range of careers they can choose to pursue in the sports industry, and also offered them tips on the different resources they can utilize to carve their paths. With sessions from varied mentors and frequent guest lectures from university students themselves, currently studying Sport Business at Deakin University, the BOS 101 program provided its participants with a gamut of knowledge about the sports industry.

Virat Kohli, and my love for Sports

As for me, I sat down into this program with one question: What makes Virat Kohli’s brand successful? After these two, too short weeks, I am pleased to write that I can now at least attempt to answer this question. What makes Kohli’s brand so successful is an unimaginably grand plethora of notions and intersections like his image of the aggressive boy from Delhi who wears his heart on his sleeve, to his emphasis on fitness and discipline, to his bonding and mutual respectful relationships with international giants like AB de Villiers, to his meteoric rise from a young Sachin Tendulkar fan to a peer of the Man himself, to — many, many more factors. But, beyond all the strings that need to be pulled to showcase Captain Kohli, the inaccessible celebrity as Virat, the accessible young cricketer who fans adore; what primarily and foundationally matters and counts is performance. 

Beyond everything that all the young sport entrepreneurs learned at this program, what they principally understood was that player performance is paramount — everything else is secondary. Besides a chest full of trade secrets and sport stories then, what these students took away is this: a better understanding of the importance of perseverance and hard work, and a rejuvenated love for sports.

Published on August 1, 2022

Categories

blog

“No Idea is a Vague Idea” – My Journey as an Ivy Early Entrepreneur

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date August 1, 2022
• No Comments on “No Idea is a Vague Idea” – My Journey as an Ivy Early Entrepreneur

By: Ananya Manchanda
Lotus Valley International School, Noida

Three apples changed the world. One that Steve Jobs built, one that Adam ate, and finally, one that fell on Newton’s head. All created enormous and rather ‘revolutionary’ impacts.  

Just like them, Ever since 10th grade, I was firm that through my entrepreneurial skills, I wanted to make an impact. But How? First step: ideate. As straightforward as it seemed, it wouldn’t be all wrong to picture me as some struggling, starving artist lounging in their bedroom, desperate for solutions. I needed a start for the successful business journey that I’d ambitiously pictured in my head. It was then that I discovered the IVY Early Entrepreneur Program. 

7 days, 10 teams, and 1 final pitch! To define it in three simple words: It’s worth it! Usually, summer programs and workshops focus on presentations and theoretical learnings, but IVY EE mentors concentrate on practical application. These seven days were a trip to real-life markets. From generic market research to designing actual prototypes, this program acted as a great power booster. The most challenging part of entrepreneurship [Ideation] was covered through fun activities. Kriti ma’am and Rishi sir helped me understand the thinking process in less than two hours. Mentors’ stubborn persuasion and vision of life and society reassembled mine. This again helped me to gain confidence. Learning from their experiences and inspirational stories pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how the real world works. Not every day does one get to speak to MIT board members, true scholars, qualified business coaches, or founders/CEOs of such vast and successful organizations worldwide. These mentors set great examples of how it takes resolution, responsibility, and desire to succeed. 

My team had to provide feasible solutions for budget-friendly travels. Humor me when I reveal this, but initially, we were worried about figuring out the fundamental problem when innumerable solutions pre-existed in the marketplace. However, through step-by-step training, we overcame one obstacle after another. From research about our field and services to brainstorming the funding for our startup to creating a whole new brand, it was delightful. I learned about finance and marketing and how to work in a team, respecting and following various theories and methods that each member had. Opposite to what I’d expected, we had dozens of fragmented ideas by day 4. Finally, during office hours, Kriti ma’am helped us incorporate our several incomplete ideas into one concluding solution for the final project day.

Ivy EE didn’t only tickle my imagination but also stimulated critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. One saying by Rishi sir that I’m always going to cherish is that “No idea is a vague idea.” This program taught me how one random thought could prove to be revolutionary. So, without further delay, this earlier struggling artist is now starting her journey with 10 new ideas, incredible experiences, great new motivation, and optimistic thinking. 

Published on July 28, 2022

Categories

blog

101 Hacks to Become a Leader in High School

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date July 28, 2022
• No Comments on 101 Hacks to Become a Leader in High School

Introduction

The notion of leadership has been extensively analyzed and examined, but a comprehensive way to define leadership skills has remained elusive. For me, leadership skills are oxymoronic as leaders have qualities while managers have the skills. Managers use their skills to direct the employees to a particular task, while leadership is a quality possessed by leaders for employees to get guidance for their work. There is no one leader in a firm, but obviously, there is a specific manager for a department in a firm. That’s where the distinct boundary line is penned. 

Everyone hunts for a leader over any other profession in today’s generation. This is because a leader is someone who attracts people to work, can complete a certain task without being bossy or overpowering the others, and have an approachable and inspiring personality, which people look upto. A leader is anyone who guides you to the right path and provides you with constant guidance to achieve what you aspire to. 

Fundamentals of Leadership!

What are the fundamentals of leadership? Well, it is exceptionally subjective to how one perceives leadership; however, by the thesaurus or something that I believe means leadership, it is communication, self-awareness, empowerment, adaptability and teamwork. To reiterate, a leader is someone who binds different people and groups to work collaboratively, for which one needs to understand the importance of working in a team and adapt to differences in culture etc.

1. Communication

To begin with, communication is essential as a leader is a person who guides everyone. If a message isn’t clear, the word that is spread across will lose meaning and impact the organization’s work culture. 

Moreover, being a leader means taking responsibility for not only yourself but the other team members in the organization. This is denotative of proper communication and information sharing between you and your employee so that customers are satisfied with the positive service. It is the most powerful suite of a leader, as good communication gains trust, aligns efforts in pursuing goals, and inspires positive change.

2. Self-awareness and empowerment

Secondly, self-awareness and empowerment are vital fundamentals of leadership. For being able to communicate effectively and the correct information, it is imperative to be aware of the information in depth so that it is easier to help the employee understand what you expect out of them.

Leadership requires people to bring incremental changes in the organization by motivating and empowering other employees to work towards a common goal, to achieve it faster and in quality. 

3. Teamwork and adaptability

Similarly, adaptability and teamwork are important factors that act as the base for a good leader possessing leadership qualities. If you can’t adapt to the culture in your organization, you are unlikely to understand how people believe in something, which leads to a conflict of interest amongst people. To be able to listen and adapt is what aligns the thoughts between two individuals. 

Furthermore, lone work leads to decremental productivity and lacking new ideas affecting the quality of work. One has to work in a team to achieve the best of their potential. For a team to work together, it is necessary to bind the team to work together and hear each member to move forward. The need to respect every individual and keep everyone satisfied is the responsibility of a leader who needs to possess the skills to make the team collaborate and work together. 

These are the fundamentals of leadership which I believe lay the foundation of the organization as a whole. 

The RUDIMENTS of a Good Leader!

What constitutes a good leader? Well, I question that myself. Is it specific skill sets or criteria that make you a good leader? Some leaderships have been characterized as good and used as challenges for others to emulate. This description, however, raises an obvious question: upon what criteria were these leaders described as good? These are the possible questions one often encounters when reading about good leadership. But indeed, there are possible characteristics necessary to be a good leader. The abbreviated term ‘RUDIMENTS’ stands for a leader’s characteristics.

• Reliable; reachable: A person can only lead a team if their focus is relevant and seeks liable solutions. The individual soul should be reliable in assigning work, providing information and being punctual, without which decisions are affected and become inconsistent. Ask yourself if you want to reach out to those you help, to address any problems, solutions, etc.
• Unique: While reliable and reachable, it is necessary to be exceptional simultaneously. If you are another individual from the herd, what is unique about you that makes you a leader? You can’t be a leader if your skill sets match the other 20 people in your classroom. Unique styles, qualifications and ways of working call out for a leader. 
• Delve deeply into the problem: As a leader, it is of utmost importance to delve into the situation more profound for viable solutions. It’s essential to go well beyond the mere surface issues! Instead, a basic rule of leading should be to delve deeply consistently so you are prepared and able to make well-considered decisions!
• Imaginative ideas: Creativity is critical for a leader. Question yourself: How will you assure you possess the quality imagination to propel your organization forward? How will you consistently evaluate your ideas’ quality and implement them?
• Motivate: A leader motivates not just himself but his team, not through his motivational speeches or words but one’s actions. You must set an example if you want the others in your organization to work. 
• Empathize: Being a leader means being empathetic toward other fellow employees. To set an example, you must be a good listener who understands people’s values and beliefs. 
• Needs: True leadership must focus on and address the needs, concerns and priorities of those you serve and represent!
• Timely; trends: Understand, recognize and determine which trends might be relevant and enhance the sustainability and potential of your group! Never resort to procrastination; instead, constantly proceed forward, make well-considered, timely decisions, and take meaningful action.
• Strengthen; a sustainable system: One never becomes a natural leader if his efforts and attention do not consistently strengthen his organization! The goal must be to address current needs and challenges but focus on the best, the sustainable system you will perceive and conceive of, create, develop and implement!

Use RUDIMENTS to understand the rudiments of a leader to become one yourself. These basic principles are the foundation of possessing successful leadership skills

The ten golden rules for leadership!

While it is essential to set the foundation for a successful leader, it is also beneficial to understand the golden rules for leadership, which make it easier to succeed in life and achieve success. The ten golden rules of leadership include:

1. Know yourself: it is essential to understand yourself before understanding others. Learning your strengths and weaknesses can help you approach information gathering more tactfully. Self-awareness is a prerequisite for effective leadership.
2. The place you work at shows you as a person: Assuming power exposes the leader’s innermost thoughts and feelings. Can leaders effectively use their control if they have gone through a simple self-discovery process?
3. Nurture community in your space: Many virtues can be fostered through the right kind of support, guidance, and incentives from leaders.
4. Do not waste energy on things you cannot change: Be careful about wasting your time and resources attempting to change or influence things you can’t control.
5. Always embrace the truth: Effective leaders should always assume the truth, encourage candid criticism throughout the organization, be skeptical of positive appraisals, and never let authority place a wedge between them and the facts.
6. Let competition reveal talent: Nurture an environment that can use the forces of competition constructively, create a platform that releases the ingenuity and creativity of your employees in pursuing corporate goals and objectives, identify subordinates who use competition as a constructive force, steer away from subordinates who use competition as a destructive force.
7. Live life by a higher code: Dedicate yourself to a higher standard of personal conduct; don’t harbor ill-will toward those who offend; be ready to assist those who are in need without asking something in return; remain calm in the face of crisis; dedicate yourself to principle without compromise; earn the trust, respect, and admiration of your subordinates through your character, not the authority conferred upon you by the corporate chart; turn authority into power.
8. Constantly evaluate information with a critical eye: Don’t rely upon old premises, assertions, and theories. Develop a necessary mindset that accepts nothing at face value, certifies the credibility and usefulness of critical information, analyzes the context that produces vital information and the messengers who convey it, and never rushes to judgments.
9. Never underestimate the power of personal integrity: Personal integrity is a critical asset for authentic leadership. Always set an honorable agenda, adhere to a code of professional conduct, never try to justify dishonesty and deceit, rather “fail with honor than win by cheating.”
10. Character is destiny: True leadership is ultimately traceable to factors of character and personal integrity; much of what is called “destiny” lies in our hands, not in mysterious forces beyond our control.

These are the ten golden leadership rules that could help one become a successful leader if followed. These character-building tips are the most important thing as a leader. Leadership is a skill, an opportunity, that can be improvised upon by practice rather than theory. 

LEADERSHIP AS AN OPPORTUNITY

I believe that leadership is an opportunity. If one understands and unleashes the crux of it, they are meant to become successful leaders. However, if you cannot avail this opportunity, you are doomed. Some of the basic options that leaders get are:

1. The opportunity to help others 

Who all do you think a leader can help? Probably their team members, organization, and even customers. If you are a good leader, you can help your team members be more encouraged and work more effectively, which will help improve the organization’s workflow. 

You may have noticed that when a pebble is thrown in the pond, it creates concentric circles that keep expanding and enlarging as they ripple from their original point of contact. Similarly, a leader is like a pebble thrown in the pond, whose influence and impact keep enlarging as the organization grows.

2. The opportunity to expand their influence

It is a commonly said fact that good leaders often lead by example. The sentiment behind the sentence is correct, but it is incomplete. Every leader leads by example. A leader just needs to realize if they are setting the correct example that they want people to follow.

When you start to feel people are influenced by your behavior, body language, words etc., you feel satisfied as you set a positive influence in the work environment, which is necessary for a good workflow. 

3. The opportunity to bring changes to the world

Leaders set missions, visions and objectives to achieve their goals. If these outcomes are realistic and valuable, a leader has the opportunity to change the world for the better. No one can make a change without anyone initiating and leading from the front. 

You have the opportunity to be that person. Buckle up your shoes to start this journey. There is no age to become a leader. Get your hands on possessing leadership skills to become a leader! It is never too late to bring a change, be it in yourself or the world.

Conclusion

To conclude, leadership is a blend of art and science. Some leaders are born / pre-equipped better than others (nature), but intelligent training and development (nurture) can enhance virtually anyone’s leadership capability. Theories and models are used only to underpin “practice” in leadership and tangible world outcomes. 

Leadership has become essential in everything, be it college applications. Colleges look for students with excellent leadership skills in their schools. In college applications, you can demonstrate leadership in many ways other than just being a council member or becoming a founder of a newsletter, club, team etc. It can even be done through volunteering or community activism experiences. Doing this shows you as a leader and enhances your application, and makes it more holistic rather than confining it to academic achievements only. And these are the correct ways to improve your leadership skill. As mentioned above, leadership skills can only be developed by practicing them. If you take full advantage of the opportunities provided in school, you can excel quicker than your herd and gain a competitive edge over others. 

Lastly, it’s best to be you but also inherit these skills to reach greater heights. Every leader that exhibits leadership qualities is said to become much more successful than the rest! Look ahead and don’t be a part of the herd because you are born to stand out!

Published on

Categories

blog

Hack the Skill of Networking in High School!

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date July 28, 2022
• No Comments on Hack the Skill of Networking in High School!

Networking can be difficult and time-consuming for most people. However, there is just no doubting the influence a strong professional network can have on your professional growth. If done correctly, networking would not only help you land a position you desire faster, but it will also offer you a competitive advantage throughout your life! That’s why networking is important for your progress and you must know the ins and outs to become great at networking. Let’s start with the basics!

Networking does not entail soliciting favors, attempting to sell, or communicating knowledge of any kind. It is purely about establishing connections and nurturing them in a way that is mutually beneficial for both parties. While you may think that networking is a very professional act, if you look closely, you can see its uses in everyday life activities  – ranging from getting your morning beverage to getting to your dream college! 

For instance, imagine you walk into the school canteen you visit every lunch break to get your favorite beverage and there is a huge line. Having known the barista on a greater level would mean you would not have to wait in line to get your beverage so you could rush to your class (the canteen barista would definitely pull some strings and set you up). Now coming to getting into your dream college. Having known alumni and attending the summer school for that dream college would facilitate connections with people that might be on the admissions committee and it would also give you first-hand knowledge of the school and its programs – making you a very good candidate!

The History of Networking

The rise of the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries brought with it the need for businesses to collaborate with and trust a broader range of people and other businesses. It wasn’t enough to cultivate a few partners and customers and then work with them for the rest of your life, as many simple artisans did.

Risk-sharing and resource bundling became more common in business as a way of ‘expanding the pie’ and increasing profit for all parties involved.

People needed to take a longer view and trust others more as they expanded their overseas trade. Investors had to put their faith in sea captains. Manufacturers had to have faith in their suppliers. In order to reduce transaction costs and increase competitive advantage, business partners needed to trust one another. Business also resulted in a significant increase in insurance, beginning with maritime protection and progressing to other business interests. To insure someone, you must trust them, and insurance agents can safely offer lower premiums to those they believe in.

Businesspeople in late-eighteenth-century Britain established capital and credit networks. The resulting increase in trust and decrease in transaction costs resulted in credit expansion and various forms of collective economic diversification, as well as an increased use of the joint-stock form of business organization. All of this could only have been possible on trust which is built by networking!

The interconnectedness of the industrial revolution has now expanded into the knowledge economy, where jobs are becoming more mobile and flexible. The internet has taken networking to a new and frenetic level, with people tweeting and posting multiple times per day. With cell phones and social networking, we can have an infinite number of ‘friends,’ but that still limits the number of people we can realistically know. This paired with the boom in the ‘startup culture’ has made networking even more important to stand out in the crowd!

The Essence of Networking!

Networking is not just about taking because you aim to create a situation that is collectively favorable for both you and the person you tend to form a connection with! A similar principle is followed by negotiating maestros as they share the same goal as good networkers. Master negotiators strive to create a win-win situation. This is the ‘ideal’ outcome as all the parties come to agree upon a resolution that encompasses some benefits for every party, if not all. This specific outcome is considered ideal because it fosters a positive relationship among all the parties that are concerned and benefits everybody! Your connection must feel that having this relationship would be fruitful for them as well (be it now or in the future).

Networking also covers the essence of the exchange of ideas. This benefit can be enjoyed both in your regular and professional life. Having a broad network would mean that you could get feedback from people which may have very different perspectives. This would broaden your knowledge spectrum and foster skills such as creative thinking. If you’re stuck on a project, brainstorming with someone in your network can assist you in getting things moving again. 

According to studies, up to two-thirds of jobs are never advertised and are filled solely through word of mouth. People can open doors to new opportunities for business, career progression, and personal fulfillment by expanding our network. This increases our visibility and increases our chances of meeting the correct individuals at the right time. New ideas almost always come from outside of our immediate circle. As a result, it all comes down to leveraging “the strength of our weak ties,” as sociology professor Mark Granovetter stated in his paper about the unique value of a person we don’t know well.

The Two Types of Networking

The act of networking in the professional setting is not very new. It was only around the late 1970s and early 1980s that the word took over the entire workforce. From the very beginning, the act was considered to have the main goal of benefitting one in business.

1. “Social networking” is a more mild form of networking that people engage in when they are having difficulty making a connection. This frequently comes in the form of self-exposure in environments with a plentiful supply of people to potentially add to your network. People go to school, take classes, or participate in communal hobbies (going to the temple, church or mosque) and sporting activities. Others who are also involved in such activities are frequently looking for company. Interactions allow people to meet and get to know each other. Mutual attraction causes linkages to form. 
2. Many saw “Business Networking”, at least in its early stages, as a valuable new discovery.  Business networking requires focused attention, maintaining records, and network cultivation, all of which take time and money. In small businesses, a business owner’s networking efforts often produce the best results. There are numerous other benefits to networking—of the many potential gains, knowledge sharing is the most beneficial. To reap the benefits of a network, you must first understand what business networking benefits you can obtain as a high schooler itself and the numerous opportunities that it opens up for you! In the end, these connections are very fruitful and have higher stakes (you would not want to lose any of them)! 

The Benefits of Being Good at Networking!

The benefits of networking are endless. By surrounding yourself with people who share a similar drive and ambition, you are more likely to move forward as a group. Here are five benefits of being good at networking!

1. Sharing of Knowledge: Networking is an excellent way to share ideas and knowledge. Asking for feedback or discussing your point of view will help you expand your knowledge and see things from a different perspective.
   It’s also possible that within a community, there will be people who have been where you are now. This gives you the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and avoid them in the future.
2. Opportunities: It is intuitive for networking to lead to opportunities. The only thing you won’t know is when or how they’ll appear. Whether it’s to get referrals for your college application or to get an internship, it’s critical to be ready to seize opportunities as they arise.
3. Connections: Recognize that you are not only gaining exposure to the people in the room, but you are also connecting with their network. If you have made an impact on them and they have a need that matches your business, you will most likely get a recommendation.
   And keep in mind that it is not a one-way street. If someone in your network matches a college you meet at a college fair, don’t be afraid to share their contact information. It will only strengthen your bond.
4. Better Confidence: Regular networking and forcing yourself to talk to people you don’t know will help you gain confidence. This is an important characteristic to have as a future business owner because the growth of your organization is dependent on talking to people and making connections.
5. Profile Development: Being visible and noticeable is a significant advantage of networking. People will start to recognize you if you attend business and social events on a regular basis. By providing useful information or tips to those in need, you can help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable, and supportive individual. You will also get more leads and referrals because you will be the first person that comes to mind when they need what you offer.

Tips to Become Better!

Connecting with people in such a way that you can add value to their lives or businesses in exchange for them assisting you with your needs.

Here are a few networking tips to help you understand how to become a better networker!

1. Consider making it all about the other person: Everyone’s favorite topic when you meet them at a function or a meeting is themselves. Make sure to keep the conversation focused on them and not on yourself.
   Making it all about the other person is a great way to ensure that this person finds you interesting, which will help you in the future. A great tip to use here is to say three strong words… “Tell me about.” “Tell me about yourself” is a great way to get people to speak regarding themselves.
2. Remember to follow up: One of my favorite networking strategies. Whenever we meet someone we’d like to add to our network, we should make a point of finding them on social media or visiting their website, and emailing or messaging them. In the email or message, we should express how wonderful it was to meet them, thank them for their time, and let them know if they require any assistance. We strongly advise you to try this method. Make it all about them with no expectations of reciprocation.
3. Make First Degree Networks First: If you’ve linked with someone by chance (that is, you did not intend to network), practice contacting that individual and having a discussion. To practice having conversations with people you don’t know very well, talk with people in your office you haven’t talked with much before. Networking does not always imply seeking out new relationships. Nourish the ones you already have and try to invest in them first.
4. Be attentive at all times: Remember what someone tells you about his or her home life or something he or she finds interesting. These slight links come in handy when you meet with that person again or send an email after an event. The more personal your connection, the stronger it becomes.
5. Focus on quality over quantity: Who you network with is far more important than how many people you speak with at an event. You should prioritize the quality of your connections over the quantity. As you do so, you’ll notice that you become a better networker because you’re able to focus on what matters.

Conclusion

Among the most obvious advantages of networking is that it accelerates your growth in school and beyond and improves your communication skills. Don’t limit yourself to traditional networking circles; having a good reputation with a diverse group of people will boost your likelihood of getting referrals and career opportunities. You never know who somebody can introduce you to or what you’d learn.

Take the time to discover the best networking strategy for you and concentrate on making it a pleasant experience. As a result, networking will become less of a chore and much more of a fun opportunity to grow. Trust us, you will not be sorry if you learn how to network effectively.

Published on

Categories

blog

Setting SMART Goals in High School!

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date July 28, 2022
• No Comments on Setting SMART Goals in High School!

I am sure everyone has heard of goals, but now you must be wondering what ‘SMART’ goals are. As the name suggests, it is pretty direct – goals that are smart! But now you might ask, how do we make our goals smart? Do not worry, we have got you! 

Let’s start by understanding what exactly are smart goals. Could the word ‘smart’ have another meaning to it when it comes to goals? 

SMART goals are one of the most invaluable objective-setting techniques and yes, the word SMART does have another meaning when it comes to goals. SMART is a popular acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.

To get a better sense of this, let us take a look at each letter of the SMART acronym:

Specific

General vs Specific Goals:

General goals are vague and that makes it hard for you to make a concrete action plan for them. Thus they are less likely to be accomplished. For example, “I want to get in shape.” 

On the other hand, specific goals are more likely to be accomplished because thinking specifically about the goal you want to achieve helps devise a plan of action with ease. For example, “I will join the gym, workout 4 times a week, and start eating better.” 

It is easy to spot the difference between the 2 examples above and one must follow the latter to achieve one’s goals.

Now, how do we set specific goals? 

We do so by including the 6 W’s- Why, When, Who, Where, Which, and What.  

• Why: Identify Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
• When: Establish a time frame.
• Who: Figure out who is involved
• Where: Identify a location.
• Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
• What: What do you want to accomplish?

So, if I wanted to make a goal regarding finishing my exam syllabus before time, this is what the six W’s could look like-

• Why: Because I want to score well on the exam.
• When: 1 month before the exam month (say July).
• Who: Myself/ tutor/ teacher (whom I may want extra hours with for doubts)
• Where: At the study table in my house/ local library.
• Which: Not managing my time well and giving into distractions might slow down my progress. Thus, I need a fixed schedule with breaks and need to put my phone away while studying.
• What: Finishing the syllabus so that I can score well on my exams.

Measurable

When you measure your progress, you hold yourself accountable. This accountability factor oftentimes gives you a push to reach your goals. To make your goals measurable, you need to have concrete criteria, which in turn can be done using the 3 H’s, wherein numbers come into play. 

To ensure that your goals are measurable, you can ask yourself questions such as:

• How much work?
• How many people, hours?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Taking the same example of studying to complete my syllabus before the exam, this is what the 3 H’s could look like.

• How much – 10 chapters
• How many – 6 hours per day for 1 month, and 1 hour of tuition with 1 tuition teacher
• How will I know when it is accomplished – when my 10 chapters are over/ when I finish studying 6 hours a day 

Achievable/Attainable

A good goal would be that which you believe you can achieve.

Planning your steps wisely can help achieve any goal. However, it is always better to start small and then grow to meet the bigger goals. The reason behind this is that when you list down or come up with goals that mean something to you and are important, you start searching for qualities within yourself that can facilitate the attainment of these goals. This is because in order to achieve bigger goals you need to acquire qualities that you may not possess at present. Thus, you must be self-aware before deciding on your goals. Once you know of the qualities you have and those you will need it becomes easier to grow into achieving a larger goal. 

However, achieving goals like getting into an Ivy League Universities can be intimidating. As important as this goal is, it is not achievable without achieving smaller goals like starting an extracurricular activity, acquiring leadership skills or making sure you have a well-rounded development etc. These activities will help build your portfolio, and that is what will then facilitate admission into a great university. 

Now you may easily observe that a small activity like starting an extracurricular activity is more achievable than a big goal like getting into a great university. However, the small activity does not need to be an isolated one, it could be a way or step to reach your big goal. What this brings us to is that when you identify goals that are important to you, you begin finding out ways/steps that will help you achieve those big goals. You grow and expand into these goals by developing attitudes, financial capacity, skills, abilities, etc. 

If you make unrealistic goals which are not achievable in the time frame you give yourself, it will just lead to demotivation and stress. Hence, we should judge our capability and capacity before deciding on our goals in order to plan them in an achievable manner.

Realistic

To make your goals realistic, you must be “willing” and “able” to work towards them. Even the hardest of goals are achievable with the right motivation and resources. 

The willingness brings us to the relevance of the goals as well. Naturally, you would be more willing to work on a goal that you yourself deem important and urgent. This is because that goal is more relevant to you. If today you say you want to study medicine, you will be more willing to work towards it than if your teachers or parents were to tell you the same. Thus, the more personal or urgent the goal is to you, the more willing you are to take the necessary steps to achieve it. 

Moreover, you are also more likely to want to work towards expanding and developing your abilities for a goal that you are willing to achieve because the right motivation is present. Thus, with the right balance and combination of willingness and ability, or in other terms, your motivation and resources, you make your goal realistic and relevant. 

Furthermore, if you believe that you can achieve your goal, it is probably realistic. Another way to check whether your goals are realistic or not is to analyse what resources you would need and if you have access to them; what conditions/obstacles could arise and if you will be able to overcome them or if you have been able to achieve something similar in the past. 

Time-Bound

Deadlines are going to be your saviour when it comes to accomplishing your goals because they bring in a sense of urgency. If you say “I will finish 20 chapters”, what that misses is a time frame. You can easily finish 20 chapters in 2 months but if your exams are in 1 month then asserting the timeline of 1 month is imperative. Now the goal will look something like this, “I will finish 20 chapters in less than a month.” 

One thing to keep in mind, however, is not to make unrealistic deadlines. If you say you want to finish 20 chapters in 5 days, it is quite impossible and it will in turn crush your willingness and motivation. So again, make sure that it is doable. 

All letters of the acronym SMART, tie in with each other in some way or the other. By making your goals time-bound, you are not only making them specific but also realistic and measurable. 

Something you could do is time yourself finishing one of the hardest/ longest chapters to gauge an estimate of how long it will take you to do each chapter. You should time the hardest/ longest chapter because if you time the easiest one, it is obvious it will be a much lesser timing. And when you are not able to finish every chapter at the same time, you will get demotivated and feel stressed because you have now planned your schedule according to the easiest chapter and now the hard chapters start looking even more intimidating than they already are. 

Now that we have successfully analysed the 5 letters of the acronym SMART, here are a few tips especially for students who are preparing for an exam and struggling, that could help them frame and follow their SMART Goals: 

1. Get yourself a planner well in advance. Being ahead of time will help you plan much better and it will be easier for you to follow it. Even if you lag behind on something you will have enough time to come back to it later. 
2. Write down the syllabus you need to complete for each subject and be as specific as you can. You can divide your syllabus into a number of chapters and chapters into a number of further sub-divisions etc. This will break it down for you so that you can estimate how much time it would take you to finish a chapter and subsequently the syllabus, which in turn will make your goal measurable as well. 
3. Tick each topic off your list once you are done with it because not only will you get a boost from the topics you are finishing but also an idea about how much work is remaining. If a chapter ever got too much for me, I would leave the last 1 or 2 subtopics and move on to the next; however, since those subtopics were not ticked in my planner, I always remembered to come back to them later.
4. Make a week-wise timetable and again try to go into the number of hours you will study in a day, the number of chapters you will finish in a day and by the end of the week etc. Do make sure to add in the necessary breaks to make it achievable because we all know it is impossible to study for 24 hours a day. Add in some power naps, some physical activity, maybe a music break etc. You can use the Google Calendar app to device your schedule; it is what I used and was extremely helpful because it gave me reminders too! 

This is an example of a schedule on Google Calendar that you can take reference from. I have planned a day where I aim to mainly get done with some math syllabus. As you can see, on the app I can be specific with the number of hours I want to devote to each task. I have also added necessary switch ups i.e. English, because just one subject can get monotonous, breaks, and physical activity like dance which would help me reduce anxiety or stress that may come up during the day. Physical activity releases endorphins as well, which facilitate the production of the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins which elevate mood, energise you etc. Moreover, I have left blank, white spaces in the schedule so that if I am unable to complete a particular task in the stipulated time then I could carry it over to the blank spaces. For more useful study resources, check out this blog.

1. Make sure to keep your goals for the week/day realistic. If you expect too much from yourself, not reaching said goals may demotivate you. This was a mistake I always made and I hope that after reading this you will avoid it.  
2. If you want, add a reward for yourself at the end of every week or maybe at the end of every day too! This worked for me because I had something to look forward to once I completed a certain portion of my syllabus. 
3. The obstacle that you may face in general while trying to accomplish your SMART goals is procrastination. Putting your work off to the end will go against the entire concept of smart goals. All your effort will go to waste if you do not follow through with your schedules and deadlines effectively. Here is where you can get a few tips on how to stop procrastinating- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/education/how-to-stop-procrastinating.
4. Prioritise – put away your distractions, be it your phone, food (a huge distraction, at least for a foodie like me) etc. while you are studying. This is actually one of the most helpful tips. Everyone knows they should do this but actually executing it will help you focus.
5. The sense of satisfaction you will get when you tick off topics on your syllabus sheet will naturally motivate you to do more 🙂

If you follow these, you will be able to manage your time much better and will be able to effectively achieve your SMART Goals. 

Pro Tip– Try to start studying early in the morning. Your focus will be much more and by lunchtime, you will already feel like you have accomplished a lot. Trust me, I have tried studying from 2-6 am without sleep telling everyone that I study better at night, but the amount I could study that way compared to what I could early in the morning differed by leaps and bounds. 

Happy SMART Goal Setting!! Here is a worksheet you can use as an activity to get started on your goals- https://trio.ucsd.edu/_files/staff_forms/SMART%20goal%20setting%20sheet