Greetings from ARK Solutions!
We have been working hard in Q3 and have lots of exciting news to share with you. ARK Solutions, Inc. recently had the honor of being awarded the 33rd spot on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing Companies in America. Not only 33rd in the overall ranking but we take the number 2 spot in IT Services. Our CEO recently attended the Award Ceremony Gala recognizing all honorees. When asked about his sentiments on the occasion he responded:
"While being at the Gala I felt the beauty of entrepreneurship in America. Here I was in mist of all of the honorees from all different industries and there was a sense of community in Corporate America. The proudest moment for me was embracing the true essence of this award and that receiving it is not about individualism but about team collaboration. This award has been only made possible through the blood, sweat, and tears of our team members. This not only includes our Employees but also all the Vendors, Contractors, and Clients who have partnered with us throughout the years. No one person can take credit for this achievement. Without team work from every angle of our business we would never have been able to grow the way we have. The people who have helped us grow both past and present by contributing their talents to ARK Solutions; we give this award to you. One thing we really pride ourselves on at ARK is our relationships because they have always run deep. We are grateful to have earned the trust of those we have done business with in one way or another. On the same token we are appreciative to those who have not trusted us as well. Without them we wouldn’t have strived to challenge ourselves, to improve, to grow and to transcend our ongoing limitations. From day one, every step and misstep has created ARK to be the Organization it is today. Without all this we could have never achieved such a huge achievement. We whole heartedly would like to acknowledge all our Consultants, Partners, and Customers for helping us create a business model that delivers. Last, but most certainly not least, no Organization can grow or achieve greatness without a solid core. Our back office has done a tremendous job over the years. They have produced what every Company hopes for an effective cost prohibited environment. They have been able to keep our overhead low and still create efficiency and productivity in managing business activities. They continuously strive for excellence and they are the pillars in which ARK continues to grow on. This is a proud moment indeed to reflect on and see actualized the ARK culture and community that has manifested."
This Newsletter is truly about all of you and the achievements we have created together!
Announcement
ARK Solutions, Inc. is proud to announce our newly awarded Preferred Vendor status with The State of South Carolina, The State of Texas (DIR), and The State of Florida. With the onslaught of new Clients and the recognition from Inc. 500 Magazine as the 2nd fastest growing IT Services Company in America, we are well positioned to further expand our State and Local Government Practice. The State(s) of Florida and South Carolina have already implemented SAP; we look forward to working closely with them on future SAP projects. The State of Texas (DIR) has an annual IT spending budget of $1.4 billion that gives rise to a huge demand for IT Staffing. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the State of Texas (DIR) on their IT Staffing requirements. ARK Solutions, Inc is committed to flourishing our relationships with all three States by delivering services with the highest quality and standards.
Special Congratulations to our Proposal Team: Hoda Pahlavani, Deepak Arora, and Rishu Sharma for their commitment, dedication, and contribution!
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SAP Partnership
We are excited to be recognized as a SAP Services Partner. This has been a challenging task to achieve, and we have been working hard to become a SAP Services Partner for quite some time now. We are honored to embark on this milestone. Having a SAP Partnership logo serves as a seal of approval on the work that we have been doing for years. We feel we have been partners with SAP long before this recognition. For years now we have been building our client base through selling SAP services. This partnership brings forth a lot of new responsibility and opportunity for our Consultants. SAP Consultants now have the opportunity to enhance their skill sets, along with assisting us in using our new SAP System. SAP Consultants will also now have more visibility within the SAP community, which requires us to act responsibly. With a SAP Partnership under our belt we are ready to Partner with SAP on future implementations and build new relationships within SAP itself. We look forward to taking ARK to new levels in Q4, as well as the upcoming year.
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33rd Fastest Growing Company
Inc.500 has ranked ARK Solutions, Inc as the 33rd fastest growing Private Companies in America for their 2009 annual ranking. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy-America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Companies such as Microsoft, Zappos, Intuit, GoDaddy, Under Armour, Jamba Juice, American Apparel, Oracle, and hundreds of other powerhouses gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500.
ARK Solutions' Trophy Case
Ranked No. 2 in IT Services
Ranked No. 3 in Top 10 Women-run Companies
Ranked No. 4 in Top 10 Indian-Run Companies
Ranked No. 6 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
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 Each Quarter we would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate one of our many amazing Consultants. This Quarter the honor goes to:
Vamshi Ramasahayam -- SAP Time Management Consultant
Vamshi is an indispensable asset to ARK Solutions, Inc. We would like to recognize him for his assistance in managing one of our key accounts. Along with being a team player, Vamshi has always displayed hard work, dedication, and loyalty.
With 5 years of SAP HR experience including two full cycle implementations, Vamshi Ramasahayam brings knowledge, judgment, trust, and confidence to the table.
An accomplished SAP HCM Time Management Consultant, Vamshi started his career in ERP as a SAP HR Generalist. He is focused towards various areas in Time Management such as CATS, ESS, MSS, Time Recording, and Time Evaluation within the SAP HR module.
Vamshi has enjoyed working on projects in various industries which include; Multi-National Commercial Transport Manufacturer, Pharmaceutical, Health Care, and Insurance. His expertise, dedication, and relationship building with integrity, has earned him a great reputation. He has received multiple accolades and acknowledgements from his clients for best performance.
Vamshi states, "Each assignment has been both the greatest challenge and greatest learning experience." With every client, he takes that extra effort to keep the client happy with the processes and functionality.
Vamshi has always gained the trust and confidence of his clients. This has helped him to present solution oriented practices. He brings confidence to his clients during new implementations until stability is attained.
Vamshi holds a Bachelor's Degree from Madras University, with a major in Electronics and Communication. Currently his goal is to earn a Master's Degree in Management Services. He supports non-profit organizations and enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
 For this Quarters Insight we are focusing on communication. Effective communication skills are the foundation for mutually satisfying interpersonal relationships in personal and professional life. At work the ability to communicate with clients and colleagues is essential for successful outcomes. Communication is an Art, the more we practice the better we become. At any given point in our lives we all could use a tune up on our communication skills. We communicate on a daily basis through our body language, words, tone of voice, dress, demeanor, actions, and now through technology. It is easy to forget the multitude of ways we send messages to one another about ourselves. A great question to ask oneself is: In this moment what message am I communicating to others? Then see if it is aligned with your intentions. Often conflict occurs because we are not really listening to one another instead, we are defending our own position. We are so focused on delivering our own message that we forget to focus on how it is received. We make assumptions as to what we believe has been communicated as being accurate, and that it’s the other person’s problem for not understanding. Another question to ask oneself is: Am I really listening and hearing what this person is trying to communicate? Often we are not really listening to the other person. Instead we are formulating our response, thinking of our other tasks, judging the other person, planning our lunch, or whatever the thought may be. Then we react to what we believe we heard and so does the other person in whom we are communicating with. In turn starts a never ending cycle of assumptions, interpretations, and miscommunications, which leaves both parties conflicted, frustrated, agitated, and ready to react. We truly are not open to receiving each other’s message. This leads to an unfortunate breakdown in both our personal and professional lives. The best way to be an effective communicator is to really do less talking and more listening. When you begin to truly hear people, then you are able to choose your response appropriately. Remember there are always three sides to a story: your interpretation, the other person’s interpretations, and the truth. Becoming an effective communicator will simplify your life and eliminate unnecessary conflict. Businesses would be run more effectively, with productivity vastly improved.
"Seek to understand, then to be understood." –Stephen Covey
Here are 11 steps on workplace etiquette and avoiding conflict in the work place:
1. ZIP IT
Learn to think before you speak. Bite your tongue before that provocative remark comes out of your mouth and you find yourself embroiled in a fight.
2. SIT, WAIT, THINK AND ACT WHEN CORRECT
Whenever you have issues in the workplace, you're better off thinking through your words before you voice complaints, thoughts or suggestions. Whether you're a business owner, supervisor, manager or employee, the workplace can sometimes become a tinderbox for conflict.
3. LISTEN, DON'T DISPUTE
Sometimes your manager needs to tell you how disappointed he is with you. Sometimes your co-worker needs to go on a diatribe about how you "neglect" him. Sometimes your employee needs to express his or her resentment about the way you've treated them. You can't argue with feelings. Listen when your co-workers, managers, or employees express strong feelings. Rather than argue and try to insist that they shouldn't be feeling what they're feeling, understand that they ARE feeling that way and simply say, "I'm sorry you feel that way." Try to put yourself in their shoes and give them the empathy that you would want yourself. Arguing may only make a situation worse.
4. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT AND DOCUMENT AGAIN
Rule No. 3 having been followed; make sure you protect yourself with thorough documentation of any potentially volatile situation. This rule applies to people on both sides of the power structure. A smart employee as well as a smart manager will document issues that relate to self-preservation and the protection of job security.
5. GOOD FENCES MAKE FOR GOOD WORK RELATIONSHIPS
Create boundaries and set limits in the workplace. Know how much contact you can take and how much will ignite your internal nuclear bomb. Also, keep in mind that you don't know which one of your co-workers will be easily ignited, offended or wounded; another reason why keeping clear, but cordial, boundaries is another way of protecting and preserving yourself.
6. CORDIALITY AND FRIENDLINESS
Having vowed to create appropriate boundaries, make every effort to be cordial and friendly. Ask co-workers and supervisors about how they are; notice changes in their appearance in a complimentary way; comment upon the quality of their (good) work. Being popular can only make work life easier.
7. THOU SHALT NOT OVERREACT. EVER
When co-workers feel neglected, they often will create a scenario that invites your overreaction. Overreactions cause all out wars and can get you fired. Don't do it! Assess a dispute with your co-worker. Is it really worth fighting over? Repeat to yourself, "They're only words and I WANT my job."
8. PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS
If you want to win the war (keep your job and progress up the career ladder), sometimes it's strategically advantageous to lose the battle. Assess a work situation carefully. Strategize and assess your gains and losses in a situation. If your supervisor or manager needs to act as if he or she came up with an idea that was actually yours, don't argue with them.
9. LET BREVITY AND PAUCITY BE YOUR MOTTO
In the workplace, if you keep contact limited and utilize a cordial and polite silence to avoid fights, you can often extinguish flames that are being directed your way. Supervisors and managers appreciate a cooperative employee who gets to the point succinctly.
10. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
Do not ever try to change your co-workers, especially those who are above you in the hierarchy of the workplace. It is a cardinal rule that people can change themselves, but none of us can change another. You are doomed to failure if you try to get your supervisor to see their flaws and change their ways. Learn to change what you can and accept what you cannot change.
11. STAY IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
Take control of potentially volatile work situations and take charge of managing them. For example, if you work for an individual who needs ample amounts of admiration and appreciation, give it to them. Work actively to make your work life smoother and to protect your employment and chances of rising on the career ladder. Remember that the best defense is a good offense. Strategize and evaluate the personalities you contend with and apply good people management techniques to the cast of characters you live with during your workday.
 ARK Solutions, Inc. would like to congratulate ALL of our Consultants for their hard work and rigor while working with our partner Convergys on the Johnson & Johnson project. We would especially like to acknowledge the sacrifices they made during the term of this project. We recognize that it’s never easy being away from ones friends and family. Despite the obstacles this team faced they worked towards a common goal of getting the job done efficiently and effectively. ARK Solutions, Inc. would like to sincerely thank Team Convergys for their extraordinary performance, client relationship management, and dedication while at the Johnson & Johnson project.
 Last Quarter we talked about creating online communities as a vehicle for all of us to stay connected. This Quarter we’ve done just that! You can follow us via Twitter along with joining our group on LinkedIn. These forums are designed for us all to interact, troubleshoot, and exchange ideas. Please join in on the conversation. We look forward to connecting with you!
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