One of the first big box office clashes of 2017 will be witnessed on January 25, when Kaabil and Raees will hit the theatres on the same day, but Hrithik Roshan feels it could have been avoided if the producers of the Shah Rukh Khan-starter had planned things in a better manner.

The 43-year-old star, who plays the role of a visually-challenged in the film, said his producer father, Rakesh Roshan, is "hurt" with the way things have turned out.

"My father plans his life very well. He was also very careful. Kaabil was about to get over in October. But he did not want to release it in November or December last year as the dates were already taken by someone else and it would not have been fair. He decided to go to January as he didn't t want to put any other producer in distress.

"My father is careful and concerned for others so he also expects other to be the same way. He is a little hurt and upset. But he is graceful about it. You can't control the world you can only control your reaction and our reaction is very graceful so now let's see," Hrithik said in an interview here.

The actor, however, says he has no hard feelings for people attached with Raees as he knows that the team is not doing it intentionally.

"People attached to 'Raees' are not doing it intentionally. There is nothing like revenge. But if they had planned it better and had executed it better then this clash would not have happened." 

Hrithik believes Raees had already been pushed a lot so the makers wanted to release it as soon as possible.

"I think Raees also didn't have any choice. The film is waiting for a release date for quite some time. It was supposed to release with 'Sultan' but it got pushed. They are also in a problem. I understand that. My sadness is only that if the party had planned it a little better than this clash would not have happened," he said.

Producers generally avoid releasing two star-driven films together as they eat into each other's business.

Hrithik's last film Mohenjo Daro clashed with "Rustom" and things did not turn out well for the actor with the big budget period drama failing at the box office.

While the Sanjay Gupta-directed film will have both Hrithik and Yami Gautam playing visually challenged characters, Raees directed Rahul Dholakia revolves around a Gujarati bootlegger (SRK). Pakistani actor Mahira Khan plays his love interest and Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays a cop in the film.

Amid mixed Asian peers, domestic benchmark indices started last trading session of the week on a lower note. At 9.45 am on Friday, the Sensex at the BSE was trading 96 points down at 27,213 and the Nifty at the NSE was trading 26 points lower at 8,410.

In the broader markets, BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices slipped around 0.1 per cent each.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, Realty index jumped the most, up 0.8 per cent, while IT index became the top loser, down 0.5 per cent.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: Cipla (up 1.4 per cent), Gail (up 1.2 per cent), Bajaj Auto (up 0.7 per cent), Bharti Airtel (up 0.6 per cent) and HDFC Bank (up 0.4 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: Axis Bank (down 5.4 per cent), Infosys (down 1.1 per cent), ICICI Bank (down 1 per cent), Power Grid (down 0.9 per cent), and Tata Motors (down 0.9 per cent)

However, the Rupee was trading five paise higher at 68.07 against the US Dollar.

Mexico extradited drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States after his final appeals were rejected -handing US authorities a massive drug case on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration.

Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa cartel, which is accused of generating much of the deadly violence in Mexico and providing tons of drugs to the United States was extradited yesterday, and had twice escaped from prison.

He had been fighting his extradition ever since he was recaptured almost exactly a year ago in his home state of Sinaloa, following his second daring jailbreak.

The Mexican government "delivered Mr Guzman Loera to the authorities of the United States" after the Supreme Court and a court of appeals rejected his latest bids to avoid extradition, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The appeals court ruled that the extradition conformed with a bilateral treaty and that Guzman's rights had not been violated, the statement said.

The government did not say to which state Guzman was sent. CNN and ABC News reported that Guzman was headed to New York.

A US government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would only confirm to AFP that Guzman was already on US soil.

The US Department of Justice confirmed the extradition in a brief statement, only saying that information about his initial court appearance would be "forthcoming," without saying where he would be held.

"The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the government of Mexico for their extensive cooperation and assistance in securing the extradition of Guzman," it said, adding that he had been charged in six separate indictments.

In May, the Mexican foreign ministry approved extradition bids from California, where he is wanted for drug distribution, and Texas, where he faces a slew of charges including murder and money laundering.

Trump, who takes office today, has publicly clashed with Mexico over trade and immigration issues. The Republican president-in-waiting has pledged to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

Guzman's extradition caps a Hollywood-worthy cat-and-mouse game between Mexican authorities and the slippery drug lord, who escaped twice from prison.

He was first captured in Guatemala in 1993, only to escape from a maximum-security prison in western Mexico in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart.

Marines backed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration arrested him in February 2014 in the Sinaloa resort of Mazatlan, where he was staying with his wife and twin daughters.

President Enrique Pena Nieto refused to extradite Guzman at the time, insisting that he would face justice at home.

But Guzman escaped from prison again in spectacular fashion just 17 months later.

Britain's Royal Navy have been brought in to dispose of a suspected World War II bomb discovered in London's River Thames close to parliament, police said.

"The Royal Navy are now in attendance and will safely remove and dispose of the ordnance over the next few hours," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Thursday.

The involvement of the armed forces came hours after police temporarily evacuated Westminster underground station, which serves the Houses of Parliament.

The rush hour shutdown also saw the closure at around 5:15 pm (local time) of Westminster Bridge, in the shadow of parliament's Big Ben clock, and Waterloo Bridge, both of which have since reopened.

"Further temporary road closures are expected to be necessary throughout the night as the ordnance is dealt with.

The majority of these will be in central London," police said.

The ordnance was spotted after coming to the surface of the water in the tidal flow of the Thames, a police spokesman said.

It was found in the river by Victoria Embankment, close to Horse Guards Avenue where the Old War Office Building is located, which was used by the British government during World War II and was bombed.

More than 12,000 metric tons of bombs were dropped on the British capital during the war, according to London's Imperial War Museum.

About 50 top officials who have been working in outgoing US President Barack Obama's administration will continue serving in those positions for Donald Trump's incoming government, future White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Thursday.

Spicer said that Trump is aware of the importance of "guaranteeing continuity" in the government and, therefore, he has asked some 50 people occupying "key" positions in the current administration to continue in their posts for the time being, Efe news reported.

Among the several dozen people are Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work and the undersecretary of political affairs at the State Department, Thomas Shannon, who will function as the acting chiefs of those agencies until the Senate can confirm the nominees proposed by Trump to head them.

Also to remain in their posts temporarily will be the interim administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Chuck Rosenberg, Obama's special envoy for the fight against the Islamic State, Brett McGurk, and the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Nicholas Rasmussen.

Another official who will remain in his post is Adam Szubin, who is in charge of terrorism and financial intelligence policy at the Department of the Treasury.

Trump arrived on Thursday in Washington to begin the series of events leading to his inauguration which will take place on Friday at a ceremony in front of the Capitol.

Spicer said that the magnate is continuing to work on his inauguration speech, which he said will be "a very personal and sincere statement about his vision for the country" and "more of a philosophical document" than an agenda for his moves as President.

The incoming White House spokesman did not provide any details about the executive orders that Trump was intending to sign on Friday after his inauguration.

However, he did say that executive orders on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and North America Free Trade Agreement trade treaties will be signed "very quickly".

On the other hand, Spicer said that, for the moment, there are no foreign leaders scheduled to visit the White House next week, Trump's first week as President. 

US President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Washington DC ahead of Friday's inauguration ceremony.

Trump, who won November's election despite losing the popular contest by 2.8 million votes -more than any winning candidate in history -will be sworn in as President on Friday, Mirror online reported.

He took off in a military jet from New York's LaGuardia Airport shortly before 11.30 a.m. local time, leaving the city for the final time as a private citizen.

He landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, a short car journey away from the capital.

On Thursday night he will attend a "Make America Great Again" concert at the Lincoln Memorial, where country singer Toby Keith and 3 Doors Down will perform.

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal defeated Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round of the Australian Open here on Thursday.

Nadal managed to win the match in two hours and 13 minutes, reports Efe.

Ninth seed and 2009 champion Nadal dominated 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis in a superb performance of attacking tennis.

The Spaniard will play against German Alexander Zverev in the third round, who eliminated the American Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round.

Nadal opened up a 5-1 lead in the first set and won the first four games in the second set, then finished with a cross-court forehand winner.

"I haven't played during the night here yet," Nadal said after the match, as quoted by Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website. 

"So the conditions are different. The ball is lower so I had to adjust for a start. I have been solid with my serve. I feel my body has no injuries now. I've had lots of success and lots of memories from where I have played. I can't complain. I am trying to enjoy every moment I have on court."

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger on Thursday said he expects a "very quiet" end to the January transfer window, ruling out signing of West Ham United's French midfielder Dimitri Payet.

"I don't need Payet because we have so many creative players. I rate Payet as a player of course, but it's not an area where we look for players," the English club’s manager was quoted by ESPNFC telling a press conference on Thursday ahead of Sunday's home game against Burnley.

"We have many players offensively who can play in this position. You're interested by the quality of the player but there has to be a need as well, and we have no need in this domain," the Frenchman said.

Payet has recently expressed his desire to leave the club. The 2016 European Championships finalist with France who had a superb last season with West Ham is reportedly getting offers from French side Marseille.

Arsenal have also been often linked to the player.

"I expect it to be a very quiet period because we have striker (Danny) Welbeck coming back. Offensively we are very strong, we have many players who can come in and overall I don't expect to do anything special," he said.

On the task ahead, Wenger said Burnley are a good side who defend very well.

"They are very efficient at home. They know very well what to do at home, they defend very well and they do not concede goals," Wenger said.

"They are a top 10 team in the first (half) of the league, so what they have done is absolutely unbelievable.

"So we have to make sure they do not find a solution away from home on Sunday, because it is a big game for us and we have to prepare well. Even away from home recently they were a bit unlucky in some games."

India played only up to 75 per cent of their potential and still have scope for improvement despite a series-clinching 15-run win in the second One-Day International (ODI) match against England here on Thursday, skipper Virat Kohli said.

India rode on centuries from Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to edge England by 15 runs in a high-scoring thriller at the Barabati Stadium to clinch the three-match series, having won the first match at Pune.

Yuvraj (150) and Dhoni (134) displayed superb form with the bat to help India recover from a poor start and post and massive total of 381/6.

In reply, England came up with a brave challenge spearhead by a century from Eoin Morgan to post 366/8 in their 50 overs.

"I think we are playing up to only 75 percent of out potential," Kohi said after the win.

Kohli said he wasn't sure how many runs India could post after being sent into bat and being reduced to 25/3. But he was glad Yuvraj and Dhoni added 256 runs for the fourth wicketin 38.2 overs to bring the Indian innings back on track after England pacer Chris Woakes had reduced the hosts to 25/3 by the fifth over.

"We were wondering if we had a good start where we were going to end up. 25/3, scoring at four runs an over and ending up with 381 was incredible.

"I though 340 was par, 380 was far fetched though they got close going hard at the start and at the end. Bowling second was pretty difficult and I was wondering how it would have been had we chased this one," he added.

He also credited the team's premier spinners for their valuable contribution in the win.

Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/65 in his 10 overs. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned 2/81 while Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up a wicket each.

"The next game will be key for us with the Champions Trophy coming up. Both the spinners coming off a strong Test series has been a strong point for us. The way they struck in the middle overs and pulled things back for us for useful," the skipper said.

Morgan expressed disappointment at failing to win after reaching so close to the target.

We weren't at our best today. Disappointed to get very close and not manage to get over the line. We weren't at our best today with the ball and to bowl to Dhoni and Yuvraj with the bats these days and the five men inside the circle is never easy," he said.

The final match of the three-match series is in Kolkata on January 22.

New Zealand hockey captain Simon Child, who led the Delhi Waveriders to a podium win in the last season of the Hockey India League (HIL), has handed the captaincy to Indian drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh for the HIL 2017, starting January 21.

In an exclusive interview to thestatesman.com, during his training session on Wednesday, the 28-year-old striker spoke his heart out on Rupinder’s new role and his impressive form recently at Rio Olympics, where New Zealand finished seventh in the final rankings.

When asked if he’s ready to lead the team in the fresh season, Simon said, “I’ll be leading the team but I won’t be in the captaincy role this time. I’ll be supporting Bob (Rupinder), who’ll be the captain this year.”

“It’s a great thing for the team. He’ll surely do a great job and I’ll be there as one of the senior players to help him on and off the field. It’s a new challenge for Bob but I am confident he’ll make us proud,” added the happy camper.

Rupinder, 26, the most promising hockey talent in India, is currently enjoying his sporting career. The year 2016 saw the best of his skills as he was marked as the top bet in almost every tournament he played. He emerged as India’s top goal scorer in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where India finished eighth.

“He leads by example. He’s a great player on the field. He’s skillful and obviously a weapon in front. He has developed his game in last two-three seasons of the league and come up as one of the best all-round defenders and drag-flickers in the world,” Child heaped praise on the Indian hockey wizard.

Last season, Rupinder scored 12 goals, the highest by an Indian. Watching him in great form, fans expect another promising stint by the penalty corner specialist in this edition.

Child believes this is the right time for the dashing defender to come up as the captain.

“He has been an integral part of the Delhi Waveriders family since the start, like me. It’s really great for him to take captaincy role this year and I’ll be here supporting him, in a different leadership role.”

Delhi Waveriders will start their campaign on January 22, facing last season’s runner-ups Kalinga Lancers. Talking about the preparations, Child said “We are training hard and following a tough training schedule. We are looking forward to playing our first game against Kalinga Lancers and to start the campaign on a positive note.”

The 6 feet 10 inches tall striker agreed to the point that Delhi have their core strength in defence, though the forward always seek to score at the right time.

“We always try to score goals but when the leagues and championships follow a defensive structure then the defence becomes the foremost priority. If we are unable to score goals, we try to get penalty corners and having great PC specialists like Rupinder, we always gain on that part.”

Delhi Waveriders feature the recent Junior Hockey World Cup winning captain Harjeet Singh, along with other players from the squad like Santa Singh, Parvinder Singh and Mandeep Singh, who shone to the maximum in India recent success.

Child said it is “enjoyable” for him to play alongside young achievers.

“They have so much of enthusiasm and energy that makes them training-efficient. I expect a great game from them after watching their pretty incredible victory at the Junior World Cup. They’re going to be the top bets in the league. Giving them as much opportunity as we can and watching them play furious hockey is a great sight for me,” he said.

The squad of Delhi Waveriders appears strong on paper, with having marquee players like Child, Rupinder, Harjeet and Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch. All these have come up with their best in recent times.

Child also played astonishing hockey in the recent Rio Olympics, where he scored in four matches out of six in all. “We had a couple of really good games. Although there were factors that reasoned in our exit in the knockout stage, we finished satisfactory at Olympics,” he said.

“I’ll try to bring that form here in HIL. I’ll try to play my best for Delhi and for our fans here. It’s a thrilling competition and I’ll try to bring in the attacking style of play. We’ll hope to get a good start here,” he added.

The New Zealander said he would love to have such leagues there in his nation as well. “We are unfortunate that we don’t have such fan base there for the sport of field hockey. It’s not an easy thing to achieve but one day we may. Till that time, we’ll continue to come here in India to enjoy the game to the fullest.”

The Blacksticks skipper hates the cold weather. Getting off to the training session on a cold windy evening in Delhi, the striker signed off, saying, “It’s pretty mild here. Coming from New Zealand in summers to here, it’s always odd for me. It’s not cold here, but it’s not hot either. I miss the blue sky of summers.”

New Zealand hockey captain Simon Child, who led the Delhi Waveriders to a podium win in the last season of the Hockey India League (HIL), has handed the captaincy to Indian drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh for the HIL 2017, starting January 21.

In an exclusive interview to thestatesman.com, during his training session on Wednesday, the 28-year-old striker spoke his heart out on Rupinder’s new role and his impressive form recently at Rio Olympics, where New Zealand finished seventh in the final rankings.

When asked if he’s ready to lead the team in the fresh season, Simon said, “I’ll be leading the team but I won’t be in the captaincy role this time. I’ll be supporting Bob (Rupinder), who’ll be the captain this year.”

“It’s a great thing for the team. He’ll surely do a great job and I’ll be there as one of the senior players to help him on and off the field. It’s a new challenge for Bob but I am confident he’ll make us proud,” added the happy camper.

Rupinder, 26, the most promising hockey talent in India, is currently enjoying his sporting career. The year 2016 saw the best of his skills as he was marked as the top bet in almost every tournament he played. He emerged as India’s top goal scorer in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where India finished eighth.

“He leads by example. He’s a great player on the field. He’s skillful and obviously a weapon in front. He has developed his game in last two-three seasons of the league and come up as one of the best all-round defenders and drag-flickers in the world,” Child heaped praise on the Indian hockey wizard.

Last season, Rupinder scored 12 goals, the highest by an Indian. Watching him in great form, fans expect another promising stint by the penalty corner specialist in this edition.

Child believes this is the right time for the dashing defender to come up as the captain.

“He has been an integral part of the Delhi Waveriders family since the start, like me. It’s really great for him to take captaincy role this year and I’ll be here supporting him, in a different leadership role.”

Delhi Waveriders will start their campaign on January 22, facing last season’s runner-ups Kalinga Lancers. Talking about the preparations, Child said “We are training hard and following a tough training schedule. We are looking forward to playing our first game against Kalinga Lancers and to start the campaign on a positive note.”

The 6 feet 10 inches tall striker agreed to the point that Delhi have their core strength in defence, though the forward always seek to score at the right time.

“We always try to score goals but when the leagues and championships follow a defensive structure then the defence becomes the foremost priority. If we are unable to score goals, we try to get penalty corners and having great PC specialists like Rupinder, we always gain on that part.”

Delhi Waveriders feature the recent Junior Hockey World Cup winning captain Harjeet Singh, along with other players from the squad like Santa Singh, Parvinder Singh and Mandeep Singh, who shone to the maximum in India recent success.

Child said it is “enjoyable” for him to play alongside young achievers.

“They have so much of enthusiasm and energy that makes them training-efficient. I expect a great game from them after watching their pretty incredible victory at the Junior World Cup. They’re going to be the top bets in the league. Giving them as much opportunity as we can and watching them play furious hockey is a great sight for me,” he said.

The squad of Delhi Waveriders appears strong on paper, with having marquee players like Child, Rupinder, Harjeet and Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch. All these have come up with their best in recent times.

Child also played astonishing hockey in the recent Rio Olympics, where he scored in four matches out of six in all. “We had a couple of really good games. Although there were factors that reasoned in our exit in the knockout stage, we finished satisfactory at Olympics,” he said.

“I’ll try to bring that form here in HIL. I’ll try to play my best for Delhi and for our fans here. It’s a thrilling competition and I’ll try to bring in the attacking style of play. We’ll hope to get a good start here,” he added.

The New Zealander said he would love to have such leagues there in his nation as well. “We are unfortunate that we don’t have such fan base there for the sport of field hockey. It’s not an easy thing to achieve but one day we may. Till that time, we’ll continue to come here in India to enjoy the game to the fullest.”

The Blacksticks skipper hates the cold weather. Getting off to the training session on a cold windy evening in Delhi, the striker signed off, saying, “It’s pretty mild here. Coming from New Zealand in summers to here, it’s always odd for me. It’s not cold here, but it’s not hot either. I miss the blue sky of summers.”

Many leading forums like the World Economic Forum have discussed the need to get more women at the workplace not only from the view point of diversity but also to get good quality talent. Enlightened organisations like IBM, PwC and HUL have brought in measures and schemes to support women at the workplace.

Today, there is a pressing need for more women to join the workforce, climb the corporate ladder and to reach top management levels. In the Indian context a good percentage of highly educated women are involved at the entry level. The numbers however dwindle across the hierarchy. While it is imperative that more organisations introduce women friendly policies, they themselves have a lot of work to do.

Over the years, the female participants in management training programmes come with a lot of baggage which does not serve them well. Their biggest barrier is their sense of self-esteem. Many suffer from it despite being highly educated and employed probably owing to the type of treatment they get either at work or at home or both. This is combined with a sense of guilt among those who have young children. In some it also extends to not being able to play the socially defined role as a home maker. 

Women tend to confuse their primary role with the positional which they have to play in the organisation. According to an ongoing research being conducted by a team of researchers at the IMI, Delhi, there is no difference either in the personality profiles or achievement orientation between men and women.

 It lies in the value system- women assign higher importance to need for a comfortable life and avoidance of conflicts as compared to men. This therefore affects the type of assignments they choose and the locations they are willing to work in and the opportunity to prove their capabilities. 

As the famous saying from the Upanishads goes, “Raise yourself, by yourself, you are your own best friend and you are your own worst enemy.” Women have to continuously take up new challenges. As they keep proving themselves, they will become stronger and their self-esteem will grow. There is no point in trying to please everyone across their multiple roles and be the only person dissatisfied. Such an approach will protect them from 
getting flooded with guilt and handle their tasks efficiently. 

Another important aspect is to negotiate their position and time with the family members. Negotiation requires a lot of skill and delicate handling and hence training on this skill will be of immense value. Conflict management skills will also help them immensely to handle difficult situations with co-workers and teams. Above all, women must develop high degree of resilience and capacity to bounce back. This should be combined with greater degree of self-awareness and understanding, in terms of clarity on their goals and aspirations.

Finding mentors and champions within the organisation will be a great help in getting due feedback and continuous development. 

They must also look for opportunities to speak up and share their ideas on public platforms so that they are known to the corporate community. 

Organisations interested in developing future women leaders must not only support them through important initiatives, they must also provide them opportunity to attend training programmes which can help them develop self-insight, 
clarify their goals, negotiate and manage conflict. 

The writer is professor of Organisational Behaviour, IMI-Delhi

Many leading forums like the World Economic Forum have discussed the need to get more women at the workplace not only from the view point of diversity but also to get good quality talent. Enlightened organisations like IBM, PwC and HUL have brought in measures and schemes to support women at the workplace.

Today, there is a pressing need for more women to join the workforce, climb the corporate ladder and to reach top management levels. In the Indian context a good percentage of highly educated women are involved at the entry level. The numbers however dwindle across the hierarchy. While it is imperative that more organisations introduce women friendly policies, they themselves have a lot of work to do.

Over the years, the female participants in management training programmes come with a lot of baggage which does not serve them well. Their biggest barrier is their sense of self-esteem. Many suffer from it despite being highly educated and employed probably owing to the type of treatment they get either at work or at home or both. This is combined with a sense of guilt among those who have young children. In some it also extends to not being able to play the socially defined role as a home maker. 

Women tend to confuse their primary role with the positional which they have to play in the organisation. According to an ongoing research being conducted by a team of researchers at the IMI, Delhi, there is no difference either in the personality profiles or achievement orientation between men and women.

 It lies in the value system- women assign higher importance to need for a comfortable life and avoidance of conflicts as compared to men. This therefore affects the type of assignments they choose and the locations they are willing to work in and the opportunity to prove their capabilities. 

As the famous saying from the Upanishads goes, “Raise yourself, by yourself, you are your own best friend and you are your own worst enemy.” Women have to continuously take up new challenges. As they keep proving themselves, they will become stronger and their self-esteem will grow. There is no point in trying to please everyone across their multiple roles and be the only person dissatisfied. Such an approach will protect them from 
getting flooded with guilt and handle their tasks efficiently. 

Another important aspect is to negotiate their position and time with the family members. Negotiation requires a lot of skill and delicate handling and hence training on this skill will be of immense value. Conflict management skills will also help them immensely to handle difficult situations with co-workers and teams. Above all, women must develop high degree of resilience and capacity to bounce back. This should be combined with greater degree of self-awareness and understanding, in terms of clarity on their goals and aspirations.

Finding mentors and champions within the organisation will be a great help in getting due feedback and continuous development. 

They must also look for opportunities to speak up and share their ideas on public platforms so that they are known to the corporate community. 

Organisations interested in developing future women leaders must not only support them through important initiatives, they must also provide them opportunity to attend training programmes which can help them develop self-insight, 
clarify their goals, negotiate and manage conflict. 

The writer is professor of Organisational Behaviour, IMI-Delhi

Regular team meetings are an intrinsic part of every workplace. Some have designated days and times for the meeting, others are more random and impromptu in calling the team to the conference room. Whatever the approach, these meetings do not always throw up desired results due to multiple reasons. Some team heads do not encourage active participation and adhere to a more top-down approach, others keep the proceedings dull and drab, failing to stir the creative of their team members. Some team heads believe that team meetings are opportunities for giving dressing downs to non-performers and thus fail to focus on improvements and outcomes. 

If you talk to different employees from different companies, you will get multiple responses about their experiences at team meetings. Some would say they dread the call for it, others would cite them as active brainstorming sessions that produce viable, sometimes even brilliant ideas from within the team. If you are a team head, looking to improve your team meetings and make them more productive, here are five ways to go about it:

Walk in with pre-defined agenda points: Often despite the best of intentions of everybody involved, team meetings veer into irrelevant territories and discussions which may not be central to the agenda. To ensure the proceedings remain streamlined, it is important to walk into them with a clear set of pre-defined agenda points which should be mailed to all attending members a day in advance. 

This would not only help you to keep the agenda straight, but also allow others to be prepared for the meeting and hit the ground running. Make sure the meeting sticks to the agenda points and veers to others issues only when all listed items have been covered in the discourse.   

Ask everyone to do their homework: As you mail your agenda to the team in advance, also ensure that everyone turns up at the meeting after doing due diligence. They should be aware of the subjects listed on the agenda and be ready with their contributions. For example, if the meeting has been called to discuss, among other things, suggestions for an upcoming event, every team member should be briefed in advance about the event. Time should not be wasted on briefing a few members who are unaware, even as the others. Preparedness also means the team arrives with ready facts and figures that will help the unit take important decisions and calls.

  n Keep it informal: Many employees hate team meetings because they are too rigid and serious. Even as you are making sure the agenda remains tight, do not make the discourse too formal or serious. Let the members relax and talk their heart out comfortably. Encourage a joke or two in between. 

Better is to start on a jovial note and then turn to more serious issues. You can start by asking the members to share interesting incidents or anecdotes that may have occurred in recent times at the workplace.  

Encourage everyone to speak: There will always be some outspoken members and some silent ones in the team. This doesn’t mean the latter do not have good ideas or suggestions. 

They might just be keeping it to themselves. Make sure team meetings are events where each and every member is engaged and given the chance to speak, even encouraged to do so. The team  meetings should never turn into monologues or lecture sessions. This is the worst that can happen to a tam exercise.

Focus more on solutions, less on what went wrong: Something or the other will always go wrong when people are entrusted with responsibilities. However, team meetings should not become platforms of pinning blame and humiliating individuals in front of others. If you are really tempted to give somebody a dressing down, do so in the private confined of your chamber, but never publically. When you are at a team meeting discuss even poor performances in a positive tone and tenor, in a bid to find solutions and focus on outcomes.

The writer is Human Resource Manager, Core Diagnostics

Regular team meetings are an intrinsic part of every workplace. Some have designated days and times for the meeting, others are more random and impromptu in calling the team to the conference room. Whatever the approach, these meetings do not always throw up desired results due to multiple reasons. Some team heads do not encourage active participation and adhere to a more top-down approach, others keep the proceedings dull and drab, failing to stir the creative of their team members. Some team heads believe that team meetings are opportunities for giving dressing downs to non-performers and thus fail to focus on improvements and outcomes. 

If you talk to different employees from different companies, you will get multiple responses about their experiences at team meetings. Some would say they dread the call for it, others would cite them as active brainstorming sessions that produce viable, sometimes even brilliant ideas from within the team. If you are a team head, looking to improve your team meetings and make them more productive, here are five ways to go about it:

Walk in with pre-defined agenda points: Often despite the best of intentions of everybody involved, team meetings veer into irrelevant territories and discussions which may not be central to the agenda. To ensure the proceedings remain streamlined, it is important to walk into them with a clear set of pre-defined agenda points which should be mailed to all attending members a day in advance. 

This would not only help you to keep the agenda straight, but also allow others to be prepared for the meeting and hit the ground running. Make sure the meeting sticks to the agenda points and veers to others issues only when all listed items have been covered in the discourse.   

Ask everyone to do their homework: As you mail your agenda to the team in advance, also ensure that everyone turns up at the meeting after doing due diligence. They should be aware of the subjects listed on the agenda and be ready with their contributions. For example, if the meeting has been called to discuss, among other things, suggestions for an upcoming event, every team member should be briefed in advance about the event. Time should not be wasted on briefing a few members who are unaware, even as the others. Preparedness also means the team arrives with ready facts and figures that will help the unit take important decisions and calls.

  n Keep it informal: Many employees hate team meetings because they are too rigid and serious. Even as you are making sure the agenda remains tight, do not make the discourse too formal or serious. Let the members relax and talk their heart out comfortably. Encourage a joke or two in between. 

Better is to start on a jovial note and then turn to more serious issues. You can start by asking the members to share interesting incidents or anecdotes that may have occurred in recent times at the workplace.  

Encourage everyone to speak: There will always be some outspoken members and some silent ones in the team. This doesn’t mean the latter do not have good ideas or suggestions. 

They might just be keeping it to themselves. Make sure team meetings are events where each and every member is engaged and given the chance to speak, even encouraged to do so. The team  meetings should never turn into monologues or lecture sessions. This is the worst that can happen to a tam exercise.

Focus more on solutions, less on what went wrong: Something or the other will always go wrong when people are entrusted with responsibilities. However, team meetings should not become platforms of pinning blame and humiliating individuals in front of others. If you are really tempted to give somebody a dressing down, do so in the private confined of your chamber, but never publically. When you are at a team meeting discuss even poor performances in a positive tone and tenor, in a bid to find solutions and focus on outcomes.

The writer is Human Resource Manager, Core Diagnostics