This is my first blog in 2010, so I thought it appropriate to start with something positive. A positive message, a positive thought…………….. at least a positive disaster!!
Well, I got a hoard of messages this New year (on 1st Jan). some of them read “hope you have a nice, prosperous year………..”, “hope all your dreams come true……….”, “hope you achieve all that you set out on………….”. most of the wishes started with “hope”. Wonderful!! Everyone wishing me is “hoping” for the best for me!!
HOPE is a positive word after all ……….it signifies the human spirit!!
But is this good enough for me?........for you??
Someone says to us “I hope I become rich, I hope I win the lottery this year”…..this can be said even without purchasing the lottery ticket. How does this sound? ………….. is this very positive?
After a surgery on a dear one, the doctor says “I have done all that I can, now lets hope for the best” ………….. is this still positive?
Well, hope signifies an element of positivity, but I thought it isn’t good enough for me!!
So, what is the one word that will egg me on to go ahead and achieve things, that will spur not only positivity but also action and subsequent joy in me? ………..BELIEVE!!!
The word is perfect!
I ‘believe’ that this year is going to be wonderful for me!
I ‘believe’ in my abilities to make things happen!
I ‘believe’ that my partner will take care of things!
I ‘believe’ that my company will go on to make profits.
BELIEVE – this word not only evokes positivity, but encompasses ‘hope’, trust and follows it up with action as well and gives me that euphoric avenue to sprint through.
I have to quote Napoleon Hill “whatever the mind can conceive, and Believe; it can achieve”. So the adhesive between achievement and dream is “BELIEF”
BELIEVE that you will have a wonderful year and life ahead!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
'Small Talk' success
Let me confess to you that I was hopeless at making small talk! Atleast I was until a few weeks ago. I was pathetic at the ‘connect’ with people on a personal level. Yeah, I could make conversation and also keep a group lively. I can perk up people with motivation and regale them with wit and humor. But when it comes to engaging someone in small talk especially when I bump into them unexpectedly, I was wanting. Here, I have to mention that I was the ‘go-to’ person whenever people wanted solutions, but I would never be approached if people wanted to chat casually. Infact, I would somehow manage to repel even those few who would approach me.
Then I watched charismatic people closely and figured out their ‘connect’ with people and what drew or attracted people to them. I figured out that they were very casual with their demeanor and would show a genuine interest in people. I would hear them talk to people very personally and obligingly.
I learnt and figured that, while engaging people in small talk, two things are a strict no-no – EGO and INHIBITION. These two emotions hinder us from engaging the other person. These evoke a feeling of ‘superiority’ or ‘inferiority’ and hampers people from being attracted. If we bring in these two feelings to the table (or corridor) when we make casual and informal talk, we automatically give way for an emotional disconnect and we botch up many things.
Another thing that I figured out if we need to be successful in engaging people is avoiding the ‘need to control’. Humanly, we feel the need to control the conversation and behave that we are the ‘know all’, but this disengages the conversation. We are created with 2 ears and 1 mouth. So speak less and listen more. There is also no need to have all answers and solutions. Sometimes, a smile and ears is all that is required to be a good conversationalist! I am incorporating these and am pretty successful in my ‘small talk’ now. I will keep you posted on the ‘super success’
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Troubled times
Amid today's impressive technological innovations, business leaders sometimes forget that work is—at its core—a fundamental human endeavor. During the days of uncertainty the only factor that keeps organizations active and competitive in the markets is its 'employees'. As Maslow once said 'A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization. … It refers to man's desire for self-fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially: to become everything one is capable of becoming'. The same holds good for organizations, after all, these institutions are made up by people like you and me.
Lets get back to the topic 'troubled times'.During these days of financial uncertainity,job losses, redundancy- off shoring companies seem to be only concentrating on the need to survive this downturn. The need for being successful has diminished or holds little or no value. The junkbond crisis, Dot com bubble burst and then Lehman brothers have got Newton to act on all of us and the gravitational force is keeping all of us on the ground (9.8 also seems to be quite a hand full now!).The start of off shoring brought in a lot of opportunities that were first unheard of in the sub continent. Youngsters were given more than they could chew and liquid cash could be seen everywhere. The government also went on to change the basic education system to suit the needs of the industry. BPO/IT...ITeS. Half baked or semi literate individuals were out in the market vying for roles in MNCs doing graveyard shifts, speaking the language of the West, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. The west culture was slowly creeping in.
Individuals out of college now never had a thought or intention of studying any further. They could make a fast buck anywhere. call centers which existed in window less offices was the talk of the town. everyone wanted to be a part of it. Selling bra's, airline tickets, printers, comps, and financial data was the so called domain expertise. Major players in the software industry also joined the bandwagon.
This inturn created a lot of jobs and easy money. the number of Pubs in Bangalore has tripled. The average beer consumption also went up. The number of divorces also went up. the number of abortions went up. The number of people in the rehab centers also went up.The number of car sales also went up. The number of personal loans taken also went up. the number of housing loans also went up.The number of flats and builders in bangalore also went up. Loans were given upto 100% of the house value. everything was fine! A 24 year old was capable of owning a house for 24L INR. paying a monthly EMI of 20K, the rest of his money on cigarettes and pubs.The loans kept increasing.
The relationships no longer exist. For me the growth of any organization is simply the accumulated growth of the individual relationships that constitute it. And relationships largely are influenced by a lot of external factors.
Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone especially during these troubled times. Spider webs are both the strongest and the most fragile structures in the world. Pound for pound, spider webs are stronger than steel, yet they can stretch to nearly 40 percent of their length. They can also break with just the touch of a finger. The construction of spider webs is an apt metaphor for relationships long before the World Wide Web became our new medium for meeting and greeting. Relationships can be resilient or tenuous. They can stretch when tested, or they can break at the first sign of heavy winds.
Our traditional organizations are designed to provide for the first three levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, shelter, and belonging. Since these are now widely available to members of industrial society, our organizations do not provide significantly unique opportunities to command the loyalty and commitment of our people. The ferment in management will continue until organizations begin to address the higher order needs: self-respect and self-actualization.
Most economists think of employees as "units of production," customers as "units of consumption," and investors as "units of investment." I came to realize that there is no one unit of production because employees are influenced by their motivation, capacity, and the tools we've made available to them, and their results are a function of these influencers. Similarly, not all customers or investors approach their relationship with a company in the same way. In sum, many business observers view these "units" as fixed commodities (like steel) when in fact they truly are flexible (like a web), depending on how these relationships have been nurtured or "spun."
Human capital, unlike other assets, does not depreciate over time. Like good wine, it actually improves with age.
Lets get back to the topic 'troubled times'.During these days of financial uncertainity,job losses, redundancy- off shoring companies seem to be only concentrating on the need to survive this downturn. The need for being successful has diminished or holds little or no value. The junkbond crisis, Dot com bubble burst and then Lehman brothers have got Newton to act on all of us and the gravitational force is keeping all of us on the ground (9.8 also seems to be quite a hand full now!).The start of off shoring brought in a lot of opportunities that were first unheard of in the sub continent. Youngsters were given more than they could chew and liquid cash could be seen everywhere. The government also went on to change the basic education system to suit the needs of the industry. BPO/IT...ITeS. Half baked or semi literate individuals were out in the market vying for roles in MNCs doing graveyard shifts, speaking the language of the West, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. The west culture was slowly creeping in.
Individuals out of college now never had a thought or intention of studying any further. They could make a fast buck anywhere. call centers which existed in window less offices was the talk of the town. everyone wanted to be a part of it. Selling bra's, airline tickets, printers, comps, and financial data was the so called domain expertise. Major players in the software industry also joined the bandwagon.
This inturn created a lot of jobs and easy money. the number of Pubs in Bangalore has tripled. The average beer consumption also went up. The number of divorces also went up. the number of abortions went up. The number of people in the rehab centers also went up.The number of car sales also went up. The number of personal loans taken also went up. the number of housing loans also went up.The number of flats and builders in bangalore also went up. Loans were given upto 100% of the house value. everything was fine! A 24 year old was capable of owning a house for 24L INR. paying a monthly EMI of 20K, the rest of his money on cigarettes and pubs.The loans kept increasing.
The relationships no longer exist. For me the growth of any organization is simply the accumulated growth of the individual relationships that constitute it. And relationships largely are influenced by a lot of external factors.
Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone especially during these troubled times. Spider webs are both the strongest and the most fragile structures in the world. Pound for pound, spider webs are stronger than steel, yet they can stretch to nearly 40 percent of their length. They can also break with just the touch of a finger. The construction of spider webs is an apt metaphor for relationships long before the World Wide Web became our new medium for meeting and greeting. Relationships can be resilient or tenuous. They can stretch when tested, or they can break at the first sign of heavy winds.
Our traditional organizations are designed to provide for the first three levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, shelter, and belonging. Since these are now widely available to members of industrial society, our organizations do not provide significantly unique opportunities to command the loyalty and commitment of our people. The ferment in management will continue until organizations begin to address the higher order needs: self-respect and self-actualization.
Most economists think of employees as "units of production," customers as "units of consumption," and investors as "units of investment." I came to realize that there is no one unit of production because employees are influenced by their motivation, capacity, and the tools we've made available to them, and their results are a function of these influencers. Similarly, not all customers or investors approach their relationship with a company in the same way. In sum, many business observers view these "units" as fixed commodities (like steel) when in fact they truly are flexible (like a web), depending on how these relationships have been nurtured or "spun."
Human capital, unlike other assets, does not depreciate over time. Like good wine, it actually improves with age.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Awards – the debate whether they are administered correctly!
I haven't blogged in a long time! So here's one!
The recent Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama and the subsequent voices, for and against this prompted me to post this blog!
We may have seen many awards given out to people, organizations, movies etc. We may have our own opinion of the awards. Ask around for their opinion of any award and you will get varied responses.
Some of these awards directly affect us, like an award for best performer at our work place and it raises questions in our minds. What has he done to receive this award? Why didn’t I get this award? Is the supervisor partial? And so on. It even sets off a water cooler gossip.
There could be some awards that have group opinions, like a movie award or a best restaurant award. We begin to discuss these awards in groups with varied opinions like – the actor doesn’t deserve the award. He has done a shoddy job. Someone else deserved it more! Oh, it is all rigged!!
There are still others that create a national or international debate – like the Nobel to Obama.
Twitter polls suggested that 69% of Americans felt that he didn’t deserve it yet!
There are posts on the web that denounce the awards, some that ridicule the process and lots of them that are funny. It may have given rise to talk show debates and jibes from some stand up comedians.
One of the posts that read went like this “I have worked relentlessly for the last 15 years to manage my mom, my wife and daughter and keep them from tearing each others' hair. I was successful yesterday. There was peace at home! Will I get the Nobel and a million bucks?”
Another one said that “Obama, in his acceptance speech should thank President Bush for the award, because he wouldn’t have got the award if Bush hadn’t screwed up and proven to the world that America is ready to go to war if the Iraqis sneeze ”
Media companies are quick to cash in. They will say “Do you think X deserves to get this award. Please sms your answers to 53238”.
But, I feel that awards are recognition of an achievement (?) by a group of people, which is not always correct. The people who confer these awards may be biased or do not have the opportunity to make a holistic decision. The awards do not always reflect the mass sentiments of the common man! So the next time awards are conferred, take it with a pinch of salt. They certainly are not your feelings or your awards. If they personally affect you, indulge in some water cooler gossip or some award bashing! Then move on ………..
Post your comments on awards that you would like to give and who deserves them.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Rakhi Sawant and her Swayamvar
Last weekend, I watched, "Rakhi Ka Swayamvar". Phew! what a show. I wonder why Ektaa Kapoor did not produce this show.
I feel the show is bull shit! but it definitely has improved the TRP ratings of the channel.
It is definitely unique ..........and original too!!
not a rip off of American Idol, Who wants to be a millionaire?, America's got talent etc
Atleast we can hope to have some foreign channels copy the idea. Then we may have "Britney Ka swayamvar" or "Sarkozy ka swayamvar" ........how nice!!
As I am typing, I am thinking of other sequels as well as related serials "Kyonki Rakhi bhi kabhi bahu thi", "Iss Rakhi se mujhe Bachao". he he
We could also have "Rakhi ki Honeymoon travails"
and the ultimate one would be "Rakhi Ka swayamvar - Part 2 ".
Kudos to the girl! she has taken Indian telly to new heights.
She is one girl who grabs eyeballs in whatever she says or does. Who can forget her famous statement "Jo Bhagwan nahi deta, woh doctor deta hain"
I wonder about the shooting of the show ..........did they have retakes to capture 'true' emotions?
did they have a script? ...........and finally, the guys who came on the show! was it a shot at stardom or publicity?
Will Rakhi get married to the chosen one .........or will she wriggle out?
Dekhiye, break ke baad!!
I feel the show is bull shit! but it definitely has improved the TRP ratings of the channel.
It is definitely unique ..........and original too!!
not a rip off of American Idol, Who wants to be a millionaire?, America's got talent etc
Atleast we can hope to have some foreign channels copy the idea. Then we may have "Britney Ka swayamvar" or "Sarkozy ka swayamvar" ........how nice!!
As I am typing, I am thinking of other sequels as well as related serials "Kyonki Rakhi bhi kabhi bahu thi", "Iss Rakhi se mujhe Bachao". he he
We could also have "Rakhi ki Honeymoon travails"
and the ultimate one would be "Rakhi Ka swayamvar - Part 2 ".
Kudos to the girl! she has taken Indian telly to new heights.
She is one girl who grabs eyeballs in whatever she says or does. Who can forget her famous statement "Jo Bhagwan nahi deta, woh doctor deta hain"
I wonder about the shooting of the show ..........did they have retakes to capture 'true' emotions?
did they have a script? ...........and finally, the guys who came on the show! was it a shot at stardom or publicity?
Will Rakhi get married to the chosen one .........or will she wriggle out?
Dekhiye, break ke baad!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Signs behind Autorickshaws!
If you are living in Bangalore or most other parts of India, you will be exposed to the "Autorickshaws".You cant miss this ubiquitous and intricate part of transportation and be unaware of the antics of these contraptions on three wheels or their drivers.
They evoke tales of horror and amusement in most people!
But my tale is unique ...........though i have my share of horror stories to share about my travails with these!!
I am very fascinated by the signages that we see behind these Autos! Some of them are amusing, some downright ridiculous and still others are ..........well .............. grammatically challenged!!
If you havent noticed them, here are some of them which I have put together (my sister-in-law and I share a laugh over these whenever we find some new signages)
* Hi Rummy, God is Mummy (outright silly, but I like his attempt at poetry!)
* Love idre romancu illdidre Nimhansu (this is in Kannada and means-"if there is love there is romance else, u will go to Nimhans, a mental hospital- what a philosopher!!)
* Chee Thunti (Hey, what did she do?)
* Love is sweet poison (need I say more!!)
* Love Birads (Looks like he meant Love Birds!)
* Love is slow poison (Why are all these guys love gurus?)
* 420 girls take tick 20 (I can say this guy has got a head for figures!!)
* Love is Rose... Rose is Red.. Red is Danger... (Whoa! enough of this love sayings .............)
* A for Aids.. D for Death (I have learnt A for Apple, B for ball.........Now, here is a crusader - wonder what happened to the I and S of AIDS - does he mean AIDS is Death?)
* I also own a Ferrari (Now you became a monk?)
I am sure you have noticed a few of them yourself ............feel free to add more!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Relationships - the prelude
I have been attending a forum in which we are discussing relationships ………..and I have set my thought process moving and there are going to be a series of posts from me about this seemingly endless topic.
“No man is an island by himself” is an apt line to start my blog. We are all social beings with some form of relationship with another person or group.
I am just thinking about the kinds of relationships:
• Personal Relationship (includes family – spouse, parents, siblings, relatives etc)
• Professional Relationship (includes colleagues, bosses, associations etc)
• Social Relationship (includes friends, forums, clubs, affiliations etc)
…………..Please feel free to add more that you can think of!!
One key learning was from a young friend of mine and he said “Relationships are based on Respect, Understanding and Trust(RUT), if you don’t have these, then your relationships are in a RUT”.
In the first and primary relationship, I am going to take a closer look at the relationship with a spouse.
I borrow heavily from John Gray’s book- “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus”
I recommend anyone reading this post to read the book and the sequels to it to understand the fundamental differences in the way a man’s thinking and behaviour are different from a woman’s.
I am sure it will benefit a lot of us in our daily relationship with the opposite sex!
“No man is an island by himself” is an apt line to start my blog. We are all social beings with some form of relationship with another person or group.
I am just thinking about the kinds of relationships:
• Personal Relationship (includes family – spouse, parents, siblings, relatives etc)
• Professional Relationship (includes colleagues, bosses, associations etc)
• Social Relationship (includes friends, forums, clubs, affiliations etc)
…………..Please feel free to add more that you can think of!!
One key learning was from a young friend of mine and he said “Relationships are based on Respect, Understanding and Trust(RUT), if you don’t have these, then your relationships are in a RUT”.
In the first and primary relationship, I am going to take a closer look at the relationship with a spouse.
I borrow heavily from John Gray’s book- “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus”
I recommend anyone reading this post to read the book and the sequels to it to understand the fundamental differences in the way a man’s thinking and behaviour are different from a woman’s.
I am sure it will benefit a lot of us in our daily relationship with the opposite sex!
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