All Things Mishri

Redux: The Happy Generalist Makes for a Successful Organization

mishri — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:58:53 +0000

Here’s a post I wrote for the company blog:

One of the best pieces of hiring advice an NSCS manager gave me was this: hire a generalist. I think the rationale is pretty simple. While there is a world of opportunity out there for the specialists–be they doctors, lawyers, programmers or economists–for the rest of us it is often better to be a happy generalist and hire happy generalists. Here’s why I think that works:

1. Generalists can cross teams and departments with increased empathy and interest. They’re also better able to resist silos.

2. Generalists are more likely to be willing to try/do anything, which makes them more desirable employees and better innovators.

3. Generalists are better problem solvers.

The result of that manager’s advice is manifested in our staff. Barring our accountant (hi Wayne! Please pay me!), virtually everyone is a generalist. Our COO looks at our PR strategy and tactics. Our Director of Operations always has feedback for me on our marketing of programs. I am on every hiring panel for every new employee regardless of their department. I have weighed in on our staff evaluation and training methods. We’re all generalists at heart.We do it because we want to dabble, experiment and try things outside our job descriptions.

The results of our work and our organization speak for themselves– we’re a multi-million dollar association with 750,000+ members at 280 universities.

Redux: Designing a Syllabus for an Undergraduate General Education Class

mishri — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:05:51 +0000

I wrote this post about four years ago, and I still think it’s pretty relevant. The need for a general education in college is more important than ever, but it is equally important to remind students why that is the case. This post outlines a syllabus that achieves that purpose.

How to Up Your Charitable Giving

mishri — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:57:35 +0000

Every year around Christmas time, all my favorite charities e-mail me to ask for money. It makes sense– seeing as how it’s the giving season. After I make my donation, though, I’m always left feeling unsatisfied, like I didn’t do enough. That’s why last January (2010), I decided to make an attempt to make my charitable giving more consistent, strategic and useful. Here’s what I did:

Identify the causes and charities I care about: everyone has their pet causes. For me it’s educating children in developing countries, especially girls. I came up with a list of about ten charities, doing most of my research at Charity Navigator.com. I also relied on books I’d read, shows I watched and causes to which I was personally connected to determine the list.
Narrow that list down to three: Initially I had thought that I would donate to a different charity each month. But the reality is– a one time $50 donation is nowhere as useful to an organization as a monthly donation of let’s say $25 that goes on indefinitely. The only way to do the recurring donation was to narrow the list of charities. I picked three: the Central Asia Institute, The Himalayan Cataract Project and American University (my alma mater). Although the Himalayan Cataract Project is health-focused and not education-focused, I chose them for family reasons. I had several relatives who had cataracts and were able to fix them thanks to their access to hospitals. I wanted to support an organization that did the same for other people too.
Give a small recurring monthly amount to these charities: I give anywhere from $15 to $25 each month to these charities. Over the course of a year that has amounted to $180 to $300 for each organization. Doing it in these small amounts ensures that I can give a substantial amount over time. Setting the payments up as monthly and automatic prevents me from forgetting to do a monthly payment. “Set it and forget it” works as well for charities as it does for monthly bills.
Donate to other organizations once or twice a year: I love Heifer and Room to Read, but they just didn’t make it on my roster this year. I still try and donate once a year to these organizations.

Getting Thrown In the Deep End

mishri — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:56:34 +0000

This is cross-posted from another blog I write for, a company blog called “Wish You Worked Here.”

Embarrassing fact about me: I’ve never learned how to swim.

However, I did watch my sister take swimming classes. And on day 1 of the class at the Grand Ashok Hotel in Bangalore, India, the instructor told her to either jump into the deep end or he’d push her in.

She jumped.

A few seconds later, her head bobbed up. Within a week, she was a great swimmer.

The lesson I learned from this (aside from good God, that instructor was scary), is this: the quickest way to get over your fear of something is to do the most scary bit first. Jump into the deep end, survive it and thrive.

That’s pretty much how I started out at NSCS. In my first week, when I was mere weeks out of college, my supervisor told me to write talking points for the Chair of the Board of Directors to use at our upcoming Convention. And while I was at it, could I draft a letter for us to send to the Deputy Mayor of New York City, and work on an e-newsletter to send to 150,000 of our members?

The thought of any one of these things terrified me by itself. The most important person I had written to before then was probably the admissions counselor for my university application. I had never e-mailed 150,000 people before. What if I screwed up this e-mail and embarrassed the organization through my screwup? Also-writing talking points for the Board Chair? What if I wrote something really terrible? Would that make me look bad? Would my boss hate it and me?

In any case, I wrote all those things because I had to. I got edited on them fairly heavily. I sent out the newsletter. I drafted the letter for the Mayor. And it all turned out ok, if not great.

Within a few weeks, my boss was back again– this time she wanted me to review invitations we send to prospective members. Another terrifying thought. Should I really be the last person to check on a letter we send to thousands of college student ? I remember being so terrified that I almost cried (Ok, I’m lying about the ‘almost’ bit. I did cry in the restroom. But I held it together in the office, because I’m professional like that). And that’s how I learned to proofread.

The funny thing is- within my first few months, I stopped being afraid. Every new thing just seemed like another challenge I could master, control and learn.

Today, a mere four years later, I’ve gone from entry-level coordinator to director, marketing and PR. And everything that terrified me then are things I have since mastered and now love. None of that would have been possible without those initial experiences.

I still apply that concept with every new person I hire. I always give them the one project that stumped me. Right now, the newest person on my team is tackling one of the thorniest challenges we have: data integrity, i.e. how do you get your undergraduate student members to update their e-mail address when they graduate or update their major so that we can send them major-relevant jobs or internships? At first she was intimidated. Now she has a plan, a combination of her thoughts and mine, outside input and inside ideas. But she brings a fresh perspective. And I can tell from my discussions with her that she feels energized, overwhelmed and excited. It’s that perfect mix that gives you a sense of ownership and relevance.

I’m not the only person at NSCS who has experienced this or encouraged this with my team. I’ve noticed this pattern in every department and at every level. Showing people that they are capable of more than they can think they can do, and then endowing them with the sense of ownership to run with a big project helps them grow, learn and thrive. I’m just one example of that.

DC’s most underrated tourist spot

mishri — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:48:34 +0000

When you think of visiting DC, what do you think of? I would guess the monuments, museums, White House, Capitol Hill.

But here’s one site that’s a stone’s throw away, but gets very little attention.

I’m talking of the Library of Congress. In addition to being a repository for hundreds of thousands of books, the LOC is a gorgeous series of buildings that offers great tours, and is rarely ever crowded. I highly recommend it.

The next time you have a friend or family member in town, make sure to take them there.

How To Do a Terrible Presentation (and how not to)

mishri — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:03:00 +0000

When’s the last time you saw a presentation? Odds are, fairly recently. It could be a professor in your grad school class, a colleague at a big company presentation, a vendor trying to sell you something or a volunteer coordinator at your favorite charity.

Regardless of where it was, there’s a 50 percent chance that it was mediocre to terrible. Many people struggle to give a decent presentation. By decent, I don’t mean snazzy PowerPoint slides or someone with the ease of a pastor at Sunday service. I mean a presentation where the presenter has some semblance of a connection to the audience and where the audience “gets” the message without falling asleep halfway through. It’s obviously not easy to stand up in front of a group (small or big) and hold its attention. But the reality is, virtually everyone has to do it at some point, in front of their class, church or staff.

Below are the 5 most common mistakes I see in presentations:

1. Reading off slides: Nothing is more tiring than listening to someone read off a screen. Newsflash: we can all read what you’re reading. Also- your lack of inflection and desire to quickly read through the slides does little to improve the presentation.

2. Putting too much on slides: I’ve been guilty of doing this myself, and I’m trying to wean myself off this habit. It’s cruel to make people read tiny print on a screen while they’re listening to you. Odds are, they stopped listening, to pay attention to the slide.

3. Not having an agenda: It still shocks me when I see presenters walk in without leading with a clear agenda for the audience. Tell us why we’re here, what we’ll hear and what we can get out of it. Otherwise I’m mentally checked out.

4. Trying to stuff in too much information: Less is always more with a presentation. There’s only so much information we can absorb. Trying to add fact upon fact upon fact only serves to tire the audience out, rather than get them to focus.

5. Running over time: This usually happens because you didn’t have a clear agenda or went off on a tangent. Respect people’s time. If you see you’re running out, wrap it up now. And remember to police the clock more carefully next time.

Bonus sixth– showing that you’re flustered: S*** happens. The projector stops working, you accidentally set up the old version of your slides on the big screen, you forgot your notes. The key is to hide your thudding heart and dry mouth under a veneer of warm smiles and an even tone. When the person leading the presentation seems to have lost control, it makes everyone else fear for what’s next too.

So how do you do a decent presentation? I think the keys are pretty simple:

Connect to the audience: You can do it through humor, story-telling and eye contact, among other ways. All of these methods help the audience feel that you’re talking to them, rather than at them.
Have an agenda- always: It could be as simple as something you say during your introduction, e.g. “For our training today, we’ll be covering the new blah-blah system, ways in which it will benefit you, how you can use it and ways you can get additional support.”
If you can avoid PowerPoint, do it: PowerPoint and its slide brethren have become a comfortable crutch for most of us to avoid directly connecting with an audience. Used right, slides can be effective visual aids. Used incorrectly, as they often are, they become a source of utter mind-numbing boredom. If you can steer clear of PP, do it.
If you are using PowerPoint, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever read your slides out loud as a way to present them.
Involve the audience early and often: Starting your presentation off with a question is a good way to make people sit up, listen and respond. If your presentation is longer than 10 minutes, it’s worth breaking it up into smaller segments that you interrupt with questions to the audience.

On the British Royals

mishri — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:59:59 +0000

From the time I was very young, I was an avid British-royal watcher. Most of it had to do with Princess Diana, whose divorce and death were the dominant media events of my childhood and teens. Unlike a lot of people, I’m a big fan of the family, not because I think they’re exalted bluebloods (they’re not), but because they provide a sense of continuity, drama and tourism revenue that you just can’t get when you have an elected nominal head of state. To watch the Windsors’ behavior (ranging from the ridiculous to the dignified) is a reminder to me of how lucky the British are to have this family serve as their national soap opera.

In any case, I look forward to the Middleton-William wedding. She looks like the stable, steady sort who can deal with the exhausting scrutiny of marrying a future king.

If only the rest of the Windsor family had a measure of the restraint and good behavior of Prince William. The latest high drama with Prince Andrew and his dicey connections (namely pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, assorted Middle-eastern and Central Asian despots et al) has been entertaining to watch, but is obviously a national embarrassment to the Crown and Her Majesty’s Government. If Prince Andrew had any common sense (which he has yet to show)he would resign, claim that he does not want to distract from Britain’s trade issues and then retire to one of his many palaces.

The Mishri Principles

mishri — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:47:06 +0000

What skills I bring to a company, what I excel in, and what I need to succeed.

My skills:

1. If you want something completed on time, on budget and with minimal drama, you will probably give it to me.

2. I am the project manager type– that’s why I like working with ideas people, account for any potential challenges, map out how to get it done and take the executed idea to the finish line.

3. As a writer, I excel at factual reports, news-stories, letters and speeches. I can write a decent press release, e-mail or brochure copy. If you want great e-mail or brochure copy, you’re better off giving it to someone else.

4. I’m a good speaker,particularly in group settings of 10-50 people.

5. I’m an excellent editor– I can restructure a piece to make it more accessible for the reader, while retaining the original author’s voice.

6. I have a great eye for font choice.

7. I love working with print vendors– graphic designers, printers, et al. I appreciate and seamlessly integrate their ideas, skills and attention to detail into larger projects.

8. I’m comfortable using social media, content management systems, and other technology– everything from Facebook and Twitter to Drupal and Wordpress. But I always believe that the message trumps the tool. Having a Facebook fan page is not enough– what are you doing to ensure that your company/product/ service reaches potential customers and projects the right messages and ideas to the public?

9. I love mentoring people. One of my favorite parts of my job is working with my supervisee and interns to complete a job. I love helping them develop new skills along the way that will make them better employees while they work for me, and whenever they choose to move on.

10. I am excellent at refining processes and methods so that we save money, reduce the time we spend on something etc.

11. I have a finely tuned BS meter for vendors who make esoteric promises about deliverables (especially in the social media realm). If I think we can do something almost as well (if not better) than you, we’ll just do it in house.

12. I’m good at taking complex information, and making it easy for others to understand, either in writing (a document or e-mail) or an oral explanation.

My work style:

1. I possess a diligent work ethic– no short-cuts, no short-shrifting of deliverables.

2. I believe in a team-oriented culture: if we need an all-hands on deck moment because of an emergency, mis-step or otherwise, I will step up and do what I can to help the team succeed.

3. I delegate tasks and responsibilities well. No one on my team ever feels caught off guard if I manage a project– they always know what’s expected of them, and when.

4. I’ve heard that I sometimes come off as too direct. I work very hard to minimize that.

5. I don’t kiss up or flatter anyone, ever. If I said something nice about your work, it’s because I meant it.

6. My workplace mantra= underpromise, overdeliver. I can’t stand when people do the reverse.

My Workplace Ideals:

1. I prefer working in an office vs. work from home/ work on the road while traveling. I prefer the face-to-face contact and productive environment of an office.

2. I need clear goals, expectations, and benchmarks. I can’t perform well in an atmosphere where nothing is good enough.

3. If I’ve done a good job, I want my supervisor to say so. If I didn’t do well, be specific and tell me what needs improvement.

4. I like work-time flexibility. I’d rather work 10-6:30, than 9-5:30, if I have the choice. And if I need to stay 9-9 to get the job done, I will.

5. I prefer taking one long annual vacation of two weeks, to visit my family overseas rather than a series of interspersed personal days.

6. Loyalty matters– I try and be there for people in my department, or on my team. But if you screw up, I’ll hold you accountable– that trumps loyalty.

7. I’m acutely aware of what I’m worth and I won’t hesitate to ask for it.

To review my resume, click here.

Back to blogging in 2011…

mishri — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:13:28 +0000

I first started blogging in 2003, using Xanga. I did it because all the cool kids (aka my American cousins) were doing it. I used Xanga for a couple of years, and it was fun. I then wrote anonymously for a now defunct blog and then migrated over to here, mishri.org.

The original purpose of mishri.org was to help me right around the time of my graduation from college. I wanted to use the site as a vehicle to showcase my portfolio of news-stories and other clips (that’s how we journalism graduates did it, back in ye olde days before Twitter and all this new-fangled techology!)

Fast-forward to 2009 and guess what- I was NOT a journalist. I wrote a fair bit at my job, and I maintained this site as a showcase of my interests and random bloggie thoughts. The site then became a brochure site of major topics that you could associate with me– work, volunteering and Toastmasters.

Anyway, here we are in 2011 and back to where we began in 2003– reviving the blogginess of the site. I’m hoping to post here more often with my thoughts on a variety of interests and I hope you join me on the journey.

25 Things About Me

mishri — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:11:58 +0000

A few weeks ago, everyone was caught up in the 25-Things-About-Me craze on Facebook. I did it as well. Here’s my list:

1. I hate the idea of forgetting something, so I always keep lists of everything. This includes doing my laundry. I also check my handbag before I leave work to make sure I have my wallet, keys, cell and Smartrip card.
2. I’m not bitter by nature, but I will remember people who’ve hurt me or my family. Then I will always be wary of them.
3. I don’t use the “friend” loosely. If I consider someone a friend, it means I trust him/her tremendously, and will defend them when someone else is hating on him/her (at a minimum).
4. Outlook Tasks help keep my work life sane. I always think of a million little things I need to do, and I hate to forget any of them.
5. I’m the master re-stocker of groceries in my home. You notice you used the last tea-bag? No worries– another box is right behind it! Because I noticed we were down to the last 10 bags last week, and I put that on our grocery list. Thus, we don’t run out.
6. One of the most vivid memories I have of my teen years is my dad’s friend telling me that “you’ll need to marry a rich man so that you can have as nice a car as your Daddy has.” What’s surprising about this incident is my mild-mannered mom’s furious reaction: “She’ll make her own money and buy it herself. She doesn’t need a man to take care of her.” I always remember that. And it’s my guiding force even today.
7. My inspirations are my mom, my granddad (paternal) and my grandmother (maternal). MY grandmother and mother are feminists who don’t realize they are. My granddad always believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure of anything.
8. Travel: I didn’t travel much until I was 23. That’s when I visited five U.S. cities in five months and traveled around southern India. I can’t wait for my India trip this year– so much to see and do!
9. I have THE weirdest celebrity crushes: I think Tim Geithner is dreamy, and I adore British actors like Colin Firth and Richard Armitage (NOT the former State Dept guy). I think this is because I’m drawn to people who seem smart, witty and stable. I hate the bad-boy type.
10. I’m extremely sensitive to people’s financial situation. That’s why I avoided asking my parents for anything as a teen, because i was convinced we had no money.
11. I’ve always been entrepreneurial. When I was six, I grew cilantro in the garden (well, my grandmom planted it), and I sold it to my aunt at twice its market value. I think I told her it was pesticide-free.
12. If I could watch cricket all day, I would.
13. I’m extremely thin-skinned, but I also have a thin, cold metaphoric vein of steel that runs through me. It means that no matter how upset/ sad I am, I can fulfill whatever tasks/duties/goals I have.
14. I get lost really easily and I can never ever give directions.
15. My sister and I are much closer now than ever before, in part because the age gap (6 yrs) isn’t as big a deal as it was when I was 12 and she was 6.
16. I had a dog from age 12-17, but have had cats before and since. I’ve come to prefer cats because I’m lazy about dog-walking and such, and because my dog’s death was totally traumatizing; I feel like I was a mediocre dog parent. My current kitty is actually my cousin’s, and I’m convinced he is the cutest,sweetest cat in the history of the universe, bar none. Biased? Who me? Ask anyone who’s met him. Even non-cat people love Jefferson.
17. I am uncomfortable around children, but I want my own someday. I’ve come to this conclusion after talking to my mother, who assured me that while she never really liked other people’s children, she loved her own.
18. The only shows I watch on TV are Bravo Reality Shows, 80s/ 90s sitcoms and bad girly dramas on ABC (Hello Private Practice!) I adore my DVR (altho I miss my TiVo. *tear*)
19. Oh, I love ABBA. LOVE. And not just the 12 songs on the Mamma Mia soundtrack either. I mean the whole freakin’ catalog.
20. Food: I like Indian, Vietnamese and Thai. I like Italian on occasion. I do not enjoy Ethiopian food.
21. My favorite U.S. cities: DC, Boston/Chicago when it’s not freezing.
22. I don’t consider myself very ambitious, but anyone who’s followed what I’ve done over the past years would think that I was.
23. Most people think I’m smarter than I actually am.
24. I read a LOT of magazines/ newspapers/blogs everyday– online. That means anything from the Post, Times, Slate and blogs from The Atlantic, The New Republic and occasionally the Economist. HuffPo is my latest media addiction.
25. I always watch the people who are far ahead of me and doing cool stuff, and I try to catch up. As a result, to 98 percent of the world, it looks like I’m rising and moving far ahead. Really, I’m trying to keep up with that one distant rabbit.