An Apology to Women.

Not too long ago I heard the Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech once again. Every time I listen to it, it gives me goosebumps. I was down and out, I needed some courage some inspiration and this speech gives me that. A day went by, I was reading the daily newspaper. The news of sexual harassment, women beating and all the non-sense happening to the women-kind around the world just got my blood boiling AGAIN. We seem to have become immune to all these news and unless it happens to one of our loved ones, we seem to give a damn only for a day or two. Of-course, I'm not generalizing! But this is a sad truth. This has to stop. This has to come to an end.

I just saw a video a little while ago, and this happened in NYC.

Will you react only if it happens to your Sister, Wife, Mother or Girlfriend?

Like Martin Luther King, Jr, I have a dream. One of my many dreams. But it is one of my most important dreams and I'm going to do it in the ways I know best. My dream is to see women claim the right to live as an equal, to live free not giving a damn about what the society is going to say, to laugh from the heart, to cherish their dreams. My dream is to create as many Women Entrepreneurs as possible. Lets face it, without a Woman, we Men are NOTHING. Right from giving birth to our death most of us have a woman giving us their attention, love, care and concern. They see our dreams take flight and without their sacrifices and conditioning there could never have been any great men. Women for years in a lot of places have been trained like an animal in a cage - to be controlled literates. In a lot of places where a woman can force this change, please do so. Stick to your dreams. Never back out. In places where a woman can't force this, take the support of a most trusted friend/colleague - can be a male too. There are a few people who really do care. They are your best bet and you need this.

Promote gender equality, give a woman the wings that she needs. She can do much better than a male. Women are not there only for child birth or to satisfy your sexual needs. Each and every girl right from their childhood have their dreams and goals, why is that only that a boy's dreams considered the ultimate? Are you worried that the girl child can do much better than a Boy?
Look at the video and knock some sense in to you're head.

I am taking a stand here because I cant be everywhere. I am taking a stand to help as many women as I can. If it's physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse or just about anything - I am there to help. I urge all men with ethics to do the same. Everything is possible if you put you're mind to it. It's not difficult if you have your minds in the right place.

This is the only way I can fulfill this dream - by sticking my neck out. Not going to be a mute spectator. Enough is enough. This has to stop. and to all the women - You still have a few good men out there to reach out to and if you feel threatened just call out, fight back or yell. There may be a hundred who will watch - screw those spineless bastards. You will still find one person who will stand up and question. That one person is enough to change the herd mentality, and you girls are strong yourselves - Never hesitate to resort to violence when you feel wrongly harassed. You are in no way weaker than a male. Having said all this, I am still yet to find out a solution for all the wrongs happenings to toddlers - I, in all honesty do not have an answer to it now. Vigilance is the only way to move forward. But this has to stop. This is my Dream. Wish and Prayer. I again Urge all Men to act and not just be spectators. I HAVE MADE MY STAND.

To all the women, I say this :

Women, I'm sorry.

I promise to take a stand and I will not go back on my words. Never. Ever.

Women, I Salute you.

You can listen to Martin Luther King, Jr's Speech here :
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Everything is Negotiable - 7 tips to become a good negotiator.

Negotiation is a fact of life. A true businessman knows everything is negotiable. Negotiation, in my opinion is a contest of will and ability to convince the other party and to come out as a winner. It is a win-lose process. I also believe an effective negotiation should meet the needs of both sides across the table preserving a relationship.

Negotiation also determines how we value the other party and what kind of a relationship we want to have with them. It's essential for a good negotiator to know how to build relationships, to understand what another person needs and what he sees as the outcome and get that out cleverly. It's also a trait of a negotiator to stay calm even under pressure.

A successful negotiator knows a thing or two on what's needed and this is what I feel are the support factors of a negotiator:

1) Be Prepared

Every serious negotiation requires real planing, preparation and a great rapport if multiple people are negotiating the same deal. Negotiation is a great art that you can learn through practice. Think of the all the outcomes, work out various possibilities and the benefits of a certain deal. Having an agenda and sticking to it as much as possible will help you to stay well within what your comfort zone and will help achieve the task you had in mind. Staying in a good frame of mind is quite important. Before a negotiation, have a neat meal and head out with confidence. Try as much not to weaken your stand and also try not to show any weakness or fatigue.

2) Know Your Ultimate

Many times in an negotiation we get so caught in the moment that we forget what our ultimatum is. We often tend to lose track of what we want to achieve in the deal. The best way to go about this is to keep a list of things you want to achieve in the deal / negotiations. Some sort of a road map. Know the client and assess the person you're negotiating with. The style and confidence with which you negotiate will leave a lasting impact. One important aspect of this is to negotiate with a person who can make the final decision, there is no point in negotiating with a person who is just a representative. In all this know the bottom line, negotiate for a reason or make your excuse a strong reason.

3) A Goal High Enough

You are you're own justification, what you want is your desire. Sometimes this may not validate this for the person on the other end, and that's totally okay! Valuing yourself at one end of the table is as important as valuing the person on the other end. Negotiation in other words is compromise, so there can be no deal without a give and take policy. The higher your aspirations are at the beginning, the better you are at closing a deal. Sometimes (most times) it's better to ask for more than what you need. Set right expectations and you shall prevail.

4) Listen and Nod

Only if you are a good listener will you be a good negotiator. Listening here helps you in two things - To negate politely and suggest an alternative if you don't comply with the offer made and also to gather information and understand the mentality of the person across the table. The better you understand a person, the more flexible, creative and comfortable it will be. Remember to respect the good intentions and acknowledge a point being made. Feel free to ask questions and suggest changes, but don't put down the person in the other end. Listen and Speak - helps increase your personal value and that in turns makes you a strong person and the deals will follow.

5) Avoid Emotions

Negotiation is just a show off game and the one who has a higher firepower emerges the winner. Though it can go on for a series of meets and processes where egos and emotions may have a say, it's best to keep it with yourself. No better person to learn this from than Harvey Specter. The more emotional you get attached to a deal, the more it'll drain you out. Any deal is definitely important, but you cant cling on to it. Value the emotions, but avoid it in business.

6) Know When To Shake Hands And Walk Away

There are many cases where you cant get into an understanding with the other person, you need to know that things will not work out the way you want it to always in business. There may also be cases where you'll be embarrassed, not for the deal you offer but simply because the person on the other end does not value it enough. At these times, stand up, shake the person's hand and walk away.

7 ) Patience

You give only 3 options to the other party when you make an offer. They can either - Accept, Reject or Counteroffer. Once you make an offer, wait till they respond, This is in business terms called "Calculated Hesitation". If you begin to re-think before they come back, you're actually negotiating for them. So hold on, give it a pause, wait for them to speak, hear them out. Then go on with the process of negotiating.


Master Negotiator - Harvey Specter (Suits)

Harvey Specter - Suits

Negotiation is a skill learned. 

The more you do, the better you get.