Perfect 10 of 2010!!

My 2010 New Year's Resolutions

10)I will not build a physique which will be envied by peers....sorry John.

9)I will not control my breath and strain my body....sorry Baba Ramdev.

8)I will not learn the artistic way of living life.... sorry Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji.

7)I will not promise Rhea of coming home before the Sunset.

6)I will not promise myself of joining the 5'o clock Achievers club.... sorry Robin Sharma.

5)I will not make my money work for me.... sorry Guarav Mashruwala.

4)I will not start my novel called "Journey of an unknown Indian".... sorry Chetan Bhagat.

3)I will not love my company.... thanks Narayan Murthy.

2)I will not make any effort to keep myself highly effective to be successful....sorry Stephen Covey.

1)I will not do any effort to stop myself from breaking all the New Year's Resolutions and will do exactly opposite ......sorry Pijush.

Wish you all a Very Happy 2010!!Share

Pull that nail out!!

I always kept wondering why many amongst us felt pangs of entrepreneurship only on Fridays.And all our plans start getting shape with products,services,channel,supply chain,vendors during the day.We discuss our alliances,partnership,capital and profit sharing for the envisaged venture.

However by Monday morning all entrepreneurship dreams suddenly disappear and by Monday morning we are there in the daily rut and gets ourselves deep inside our present life.

This syndrome of mine almost becoming an entrepreneur on Fridays and finding myself in the daily grind on Mondays came to a halt with my friend Rajesh Iyer narrating me a good story..

"There was a dog living in some part of the world.Tommy have a strange habit of howling once in the day.The homo sapiens around the doggy were irritated and at the same time amazed and at this behaviour.One smart Alec decided to investigate the matter of once in a day "howling" issue.

Smart Alec probed the entire matter by diagnosing the doggy and was surprised to find a big nail stuck inside the dog's one foot.He analyzed that the Tommy was living with the nail for years and he never used to realize the existence of the nail as he was busy in making his both ends meet.

When the doggy was at peace,it starts realizing the existence of the nail and feels the excruciating pain and it starts howling at the top of his voice".

There are so many tommys amongst us who have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and who can be the next Ambani or Tata but they keep that nail inside them and suffer the entire life by being a decorated employee rather than taking the plunge and becoming the next entreprenuer on the block.

The challenge is to just remove the " nail of being an employee" from your life.Share

Real Life Leadership situation..Feed the good wolves!!

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt.
He said, 'I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the
vengeful, violent one, the other wolf is the loving compassionate one.' The
grandson asked him, 'Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?' The grandfather
answered, 'The one I feed.'

How do we avoid feeding the vengeful and violent wolf?

This wolf is very attractive and without any hardwork in short run and but can be detrimental to us in long run.

The other wolf does not seem to be attractive in short run but can be very fruitful in life in longer run.

We are in this type of cross roads most of the times in our daily life.

The best way to to resolve this type of dilemma is at the individual level,the changes we need to do is in our conscious level of mind every time we face such situations.

One way is to not to take the decisions ourselves.This does not mean we should everytime consult someone else.Many a times its not possible for an individual is because of the privacy.

So whats the way out ?Who will take the decision for us?

Treat ourselves as a company and like companies important decisions by putting up the proposal in front of the Board of Directors,we should appoint a virtual Board of Directors.

In the Board we should keep our family members,important persons in our life ,career and also we can appoint certain personalities Mahatma Gandhi,Nelson Mandela,etc.

Before taking any decision the best thing is bring the proposal in front of our Board.Let the board members take a decision for us.

What will our kids say about this decision?What will our parents say about this decision?What will our teachers say?What will eminent personalities say about this?

By this practice we can always feed the good wolves in our heart.

So who's on your Board ?Share

Latch your Mind to your goals!!

Why does an average Joe succeed in his life when the best are still struggling to pull on?

A small peek into the lives of the successful personalities brings out interesting reading.

The most successful personalities were not most brilliant among their peer groups.

Bill Gates,Dhirubhai Ambani,Warren Buffet falls under this category.

The most successful personalities were not even recognized for future success by their peer group.Then how come they have achieved their goals.Then how come they were way ahead of the generalia.

The successful people have first latched their minds to their goals and disallowed all distractions.

Then they the fully utilized their 24 hrs,when others were whiling their time they were toiling to make themselves reach their goals and clear all the hurdles in the path.

They kept themselves motivated in face of failures when a lessor mortal would have given it up.

They conceived ideas of wealth creations when others st rived to make both ends meet.

This shows the most brilliant marks does not always pave the way towards success but hardwork combined with skyhigh goals always do !!

Just Latch your Mind to your Goals and Achieve what you want!!Share

Life long Investment ..Brand You.

I have seen many Non Ivy League Management graduates who do everything possible even if it means faking in the interview to grab a job.But once they get it they change their stripes fast.They immediately forget every commitments and assurances given during the interview.

People take their jobs very casually and they act as they need incentives money for doing their basic job.Once squeezed himself in the saddle he is king.He creates an environment that all the MNCs are opening their coffers for him and still he sticking to the present organization with some invisible umbilical cord.
These breed will wax eloquent on the hyped investments available in the market.They will share their Investment acumen as gospel truth and will start their day with share market and only remember their paymaster after the closing bell of the share bazaar.

We can find every third person with these attitudes in every organization worth the name.However they forget that the stable career they are enjoining the benefits off and is the best Investment!!

Why does our career not become the best Investment tool?

First thing first the process of Investment starts with the Brand or the scrip which needs to be invested in.In our case its YOU.

How do you create a distinct brand identity?

1)Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge.
2)Start by identifying the qualities or characteristics that make you distinctive from your competitors -- or your colleagues.
3)what is the "feature-benefit model" that the brand called You offers? Do you deliver your work on time, every time?
4)What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value?
5)What do I do that I am most proud of?
6)What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about?
7)What do I want to be famous for? That's right -- famous for!
8)So how do you market brand You?
9)What makes You different?
10)Start today...You are a brand.Share

Real Life Leadership Situations..Big fight against Big "C".

I was in midst of the Training program which I felt was Godsent as I always longed for some good free training program to make myself future proof with an alternative career.The training was full of workshops and the trainer the West Indian looking Gary Sobers type looking tall Indian A.W.George never made us sleep in the program which normally happens in all corporate training which are nothing but paid holidays.

During one such workshop my dog like trained ear caught someone saying about being a Big "C" survivor.I could fleetingly saw the person being the oldest among us mentioning about Big "C".After the training I was desperate to talk to this colleague of mine.

Fortunately he gave me lift in his sedan till my guest which was some 1 hour from the venue of the training.As he negotiated through the Mylapores,Anna Salais of Chennai I started talking about his daring conquest against cancer which for most us has no answer.I was amazed to listen to his instincts to outwit the disease and relive the life which would have slipped out of hand for most of the less mortals like us.

Throughout the journey I could feel my myself very lucky to be seated beside God's own child.The good thing about him is you cannot make out from his appearance about the pain he had gone through to make his family proud and for giving hopes to many human being on how positive attitude can make cancer also beg in front of mankind.

Long live my friend ..Long live Positivity!!!

Share

Free Means No Value..

Free means No Commitment...No Value..

When you self medicate yourself you don't feel like getting better but the moment you decide to visit a doctor ,even before you finish talking to him you feel better.

This is the magic of a getting a service through your hard earned money.

There can be a discount on a product but never something absolutely free.

Things which are free are never treasured ...say a politician's election speech,an advice given without asking for,etc.

Even your life is not free..you have to make it work...every muscle...every blood vessel stretch its guts out.

Also when a product or a service is sold (distributed) free,it loses its charm and most of the times people don't believe it is really free..they always think there must be a catch or a fine print... and finally it does not get sold(forget about distributing).

Or rather its better to add value to your product than discounting it...

As they say there is nothing called free lunches!!Share

Are we Financial Fools??

How many times we have spend a hell of a time to choose the brand of shirt we like in a high street departmental store?

How many times we have asked our friend for helping us to choose the flavour of ice cream ?

How many times we have spend our precious time on the idea of joining a big corporate giant so that we get that extra buck?

Many ....many ......many hours to choose those things in our lives which won't be there for more than few minutes(ice cream),few days (shirt),few years(a new job)!!

Have you ever thought why do we toil so much for the whole life for earning ..but how many days ..forget hours we have given ourselves to take care of the money we earn ...which we will need even for our last rites!!

Most of the middle class "aam aadmi" like us toil their ass off to earn more and more ...than ourselves or rather more than our friends,neighbours,etc.

But why such an apathy towards the hard earned money ?

We will gloss eloquent over FM's budget ..the fiscal deficit..GDP going down..Balance of payment ...but when it comes to our own financial health we take pride in saying "Finance is not cup of tea"?

For a routine fever or two continuous coughs and a few sneezes we find ourselves in front of the doctor then WHY is that when we are in debt soups,credit card mess or month end money tiffs at home ...we just ignore... which can be malignant and can make our lives a living hell!!

Are we really earning tons of money for today...tomorrow...?

Are we really earning tons of money for ourselves ..family...?

As they say either you work for yourself or your money works for you or for a smart Jack it can be both.Share

Real Life Leadership Situations..Tire but not Retire

I once heard Arun Shourie saying "I change my career every five years".

A journalist,an economist,a writer, a politician ....

How many hats do you wear?

I have seen many successful people wearing more than one.

Multifaceted personalities are more prone to success and accessible to name and fame than a lessor mortal like us who started their career in Sales and Marketing and retire like with only one hat on.

Who stops us from being multifaceted personality?

Nobody else but "we".

If you to stick to one career you will be stuck in the rut and will get tired and start cursing yourself.Choose at least two career which you can enjoy and will reap results in the second half of your career.

Its easier said than done...its not easy to pull yourself in the mid career for a new career...but think had it been easy it would not have been for you!!!

An alternative career which is more future proof can make you "tire" but not "retire".

Start it today.Share

Real Life Leadership Situations ...Employee Engagement

Did you feel sometimes that a particular team member is on the verge of changing his job?

And when he actually did it you felt "yes I knew it".

At that juncture you felt that you could have done some thing to avoid the situation.

Could you have stopped the team member from jumping the ship?

Could you have motivated him to look for future in the present organization?

Could you have showed him a growth path?

Yes you could have done it!!

Its simple you need to communicate with the team and when I say communication its means real heart to heart communication.

It is possible when you switch off from your office talks and switch on to more personal level communications.

Any employee loves you and also his job when you become a freind ,a mentor and help him in opening up,when you help him to fly high ,when you help him in realizing his dreams.


When was the last time you had a communication with your team?Share

Real Life Leadership Situation..Think before you speak

Boss:Why the hell the things did not happen?You#@%*..You are a bloody nincompoop,good for nothing,%$#@*.You put in your papers#@$&*

We are many a times at the giving end of such communications...

One of the important principles of management is communication.Many a times the leadership never think before using the vitriolic tongue towards his team which most of the time hurt people and the situation becomes a bane for them.

In these times when the situation have more roller coaster than Disney world and everybody is working in "pressure cooker" environment to get the deliverance we use many unparliamentary languages and most of the time is in "jest".

For a leader these spoken words are normal lingo used by every second person.

However the reactions of these words on a person who is green horn in corporate world can cause serious heartaches and these small utterances like "put in papers,etc" can be have lasting impressions on his psyche and motivates him for taking a plunge.A good asset in making can be lost in this way.

What looks like a Leadership roar for a Corporate Tiger can a cause of loosing an employee.

The more you mature the more responsible should be our words.
Specially when we are angry we must take a deep breathe and choose the rights words which will motivate a team member to bounce back instead of start searching for a new job.

As they say "you don't leave a organization you leave your boss".Share

One Gaint step in a Life or a Small step everyday?

Most of the less mortal like us wait for giant step to be taken in future to make our presence felt in the world.Also most of us fail in our effort to deliver.The prime reason is of it is neither cost us nor makes us more tired to think for that one giant step contrary to the fact of actual step being taken when the D day arrives for delivery.We do not realize the magnanimity of our step when we have thought about it.This step actually looks like a mountain on that day.

And we fail in our commitment!! Be that be inculcating a new habit to Creation of wealth or taking up a new course.At the end of this sweet thought we gain nothing but cipher.Back to square one with more dejected.

Instead of taking one giant step if we take a small beginning and a continuous improvement everyday is always more fruit full.
The chances of success are higher and motivation becomes more permanent and we are self driven.Remember the story of hare and the tortoise which we have learnt but have never assimilated in our lifestyle.

This is true for simpleton like us or a huge corporate like Verizon Communications whose tagline was "Make Progress Every Day " for its telecom products.

As they say “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” the key to success is taking Definite Positive Steps.

The secret to making progress is getting started…today with a baby step like a small step for a man but a big step for mankind!!

Share

Customer buys in his Mind first....

The process of selling anything starts in the customers mind first.

If you probe further you will find that in 90% of the cases it is not that we sell to a customer but the customer buys from us.

However the process of buying starts in customers mind.

As a Marketing professional we must create a need and germinate a liking for the need satisfier.Also if you are a market leader we must take a lead to create a genuine thirst in the customer's psyche.

Many a time the germination of the need flowers after many days.
When the customer is actually ready for a physical buy the role of Sales professional comes into play with proper placement of products,making the customers aware of the exact place where he can quench his thirst.

Many good brands cannot take off as the customers are unaware of the exact place of availability of the products or services.

This should be immediately followed by a feedback and customer loyalty program for a long term customer engagement.Share

Real Life Leadership Situations...We are the fathers of corruption

The Tata Tea "Jagore" campaign is an apt example showcasing our apathy towards the corrupt officials.

"Woh Khate hai kyun ki ham khilate hai"...well said.

In this corrupt India you can't find a person who has not facilitated the corruption process.

We Indians keep our homes clean but never think twice before throwing "katchra" on the society compound.

We never bat our eyelid before shoving the Rs 50/- note in the hands of the traffic cop.

We never shy away from criticizing our nation and country and giving "bada bada gyan" in social gettogether.

We corporates never stop from greasing the palms of the government official before getting those payments or "C" forms.

We hardly think that by not paying the "octroi" on our small goods we encourage the sharks of corruption.

Charity begins at home...The kingpin of corruption is "WE".

Lets nip it at the bud...

Lets put an end to it today ..no not today but.....NOW!!!

Long Live India!!!Share

Real Life Leadership Situation...Go to the Basics

What do you do when you are feel getting stagnated ?

What do you do when you feel are directionless?

What do you do when you are lost?

If any of the conditions mentioned above is applicable to you then you are fortunate.

At least you are not ignorant of your situation in life.

These feelings do not occur just when you are not doing well but can also perturb your mind when you are doing extremely well in life.

The best thing to do in such situations is "to take stock of your life".

1)Rewrite your goals in life.

2)Take a view of the stage at which you are in your way towards your goals.

3)Take corrective actions and do necessary course correction where ever applicable.

4)Make new goals if you want to fly like an eagle.

5)Go for it.

However if any time you feel actions are not yielding results,your plans are going haywire,nothing is in right direction....Just Do One Thing.

Go to the Basics...

Build it Brick by Brick....

You will get your answer.....

All the Best!!Share

What is India?...Everybody is busy for themselves

Are we Indians concerned about the nation?

The "haves" are more interested in their powerplay.

The middle class is trying to become the next "haves" and maintaining the distance from the "have nots".

The BPL is busy making their both ends meet.

Who is concerned? And for what?

The lower strata of the pyramid starts their day for food ,clothing and shelter.

The middle class is proud for becoming a market for American and European MNCs.

The "haves" display their lip service for uplifting the BPL and making middle class dream about their life being better than yesterday and children going to good school and increasing the LPG prices and then decreasing it and thus showing their benovalent nature.

Long Live India!!!Share

As you Sow So you Reap !!

The SMS just got me up on rainy saturday morning.Normally all the SMSs with gyan are a big no-no for me unless I am in a mood.Almost I touched the delete key when I thought of viewing the SMS.

One of my colleague had send the same.It read like this...

While walking ,a man was shocked to see God selling on the sidewalk.

Man:Lord!What are You selling?

God:Whatever your heart desires!

Man:I want happiness,Freedom from Hunger and Peace for my family.

God(Smiling):I don't sell Fruits,Son.
Only Seeds.Whatever a Man sows ,that is what he Reaps.

As they say your present conditions are because of your karma.
If you make others unhappy ,you are cruel to others God has the way to pay us in the same coin.

If this is true then Why was Sri Ram made to suffer for fault of his?

If this is true then Why was Jesus crucified ?

If this is true then Why was Mahatma Gandhi killed?

If this is true then why so many good and lesser known people amongst ourselves suffer at the hands of God and Man?

Still we the lesser mortals think Karma catches up with you in this life?Share

Real Life Leadership Situations..Kya aap bhi Procrastinator hai?

Though I knew about my abilities from the early days but could not do any path breaking things in life.Apart from all the other limitations the most important one was off course was Procrastination.

For a better of my education and till first few years in career I almost self nominated myself as the Lifetime President of World Procrastination Association.

For many it is a hitherto unknown term in some English dictionary but for me it was nothing short a life threatening and growth stopping disease.

For those who have woken just now Procrastination is a behavior which is characterized by the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.
Psychology researchers also have three criteria they use to categorize procrastination. For a behavior to be classified as procrastination, it must be as they say counterproductive, needless, and delaying.

I was dead sure because of this "leech" I would have sufferred for the rest of my life.

To medicate myself I took the help of many self help books but the moment I finish the book I started lazing around and I was back on square one.

It was such a blood sucking disease that no matter how many times I have motivated myself I could not get myself out of it or rather I could get it out of me!!

To start something good which will give me growth and happiness,the first thing which came to my psyche was why not do it on a Monday or rather on the 1st of the month or rather on the New year..in this way differment was the name of the game.

Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Psychology researchers also have three criteria they use to categorize procrastination. For a behavior to be classified as procrastination, it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying and I was sure my sympotons were perfectly matching.

Surprisingly it were not big things which were delayed by me but errands like paying the bills,going for hair cut,getting the Pollution Under Control test done for my car...everything I used to postpone till the time I was not forced by the situation to get the things done.I have paid not only through my nose monetarily but also wasted significant years of my life.

To get rid of this disease I have invested time for "Eat the Frog" and started eating so called bigger and ugly frogs but the craze lasted for few days or maximum a month.

I even thought of getting myself a session with a psychologist who can take my brain out,wipe of all the bad memories and fear of unknown,etc from my subconscious mind, which I realized were the causes of same.

Alas I being the Lifetime President of World Procrastination Associate why should I move my butt towards anything..for that matter psychologist ..first postpone and then forget it ..

However I must admit the status quo resulted in lot of stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and disapproval from others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. These combined feelings acted as force multiplier and further promoted more procrastination. I learnt that though it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

Finally I started writing down what ever actions need to be initiated by me and on completion of each activity would strike them same out.This made me feel better and started pampering myself on each achievement.
After from this I have put the fear of being called as "Living Failure"in my subconscious mind which in due course started acting on my conscious mind and flesh and blood body.

Yes I am improving ....but am I immune to Procrastination...Yes I have ...

Actually I have started delaying Procrastination itself.

Beware it is around everywhere...Are you infected ??

Take a test yourself..write down five things which you have not acted in last one week..yes you might be thinking one week..that's normal...but never know when it stretches to one month...six month...one year ...lo the new year is around the corner..you are thinking you will start acting on these delayed adventures as New Year Resolutions...Good...No...Bad.....You are suffering from Procrastination..

According to Dr. Linda Sapadin there are six types of procrastination that a person can be solely or a combination of. The styles are
1)The Perfectionist
2)The Crisis-Maker
3)The Dreamer
4)The Defier
5)The Worrier and
6)The Overdoer.

What is your style Sirji??Share

Real Life Leadership Situations..Self Motivation is like bathing..You require it Daily

Self improvement requires lot of motivation from the external environment.But it is also true that for the engine of life to rev properly it needs a fuel called Motivation.
This fuel is very precious but you can get it from outside or you can manufacture yourself.Manufacturing this fuel yourself is nothing but Self Motivation.

Nobody else will motivate you,you have to carry your own cross and move ahead in life.The moment you start your day you tend to attract lot of demotivating factors.Just like you have your crucial breakfast before leaving for the day to take on the world similarly a regular dose of Self Motivation is must.

The Self Motivation comes from fact what you want to do in your life and what are your goals.Self Motivation can be positive affirmations like "Yes I can do it" to a more complex thinking which will imbibe the same in your subconscious mind and your body will start responding in the fashion your imbibed motivation directs you to.

The most important necessity of Self Motivation is to have a Positive Attitude in life.

A never say "No" attitude kills any negativity in yourself and the good part is it is very contagious and spreads fast.

Spread Positivity............. Motivate the World!!Share

Absurd Laws and yet true to real life situations

Whether you are home ,office or a public place there’s bound to various laws which seems absurd but true.
Some of the humorous and thought provoking of such gems are collected for you.

1)The Unspeakable Law:
As soon as you mention something..
…if it’s good,it goes away.
…if it’s bad,it happens.

2)Lewis’s Law:
No matter how long or how hard you shop for an item,after you have bought it,it will be on sale somewhere cheaper.

3)Etorre’s observation:
The other line moves faster.

4)Jenning’s Corollary
The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

5)Parkinson’s Axiom:
An official wants to multiply subordinates and not rivals.

6)Imhoff’s Law:
The organization of any bureaucracy is very much like a septic tank-the really big chunks always rise to the top.

7)Mencken’s Law:
Those who can-do.
Those who cannot-teach.
Those who cannot teach-administrate.

8)First Law of Debate:
Never argue with a fool-people might not know the difference.

9)Weiler’s Law:
Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.

10)Matz’s Rule:
A drug is that substance which,when injected into a rat,will produce a scientific report.Share

Real Life Leadership situations..Golden years for the motherland

More American at their golden ages are joining organizations like Peace Corps volunteer working in the public health sectors around African countries where nearly one in four individuals are infected with dreaded diseases.They are getting to experience what it's like to live in another culture, and that adds lot of value to them..
People are forgetting the mapped-out cruises or packaged vacations to see the world and this is the kind of travel they are interested in now .
A growing number of Americans over 50 are dedicating time in their golden years to volunteering abroad. Even married couples are allowed to join together.
The decision is becoming more attractive with a sickly national economy sparking more layoffs and early retirement packages. The economic crisis is giving them an opportunity to take a break and join organizations which offers work like teaching and volunteer programs in foreign countries.

India has 60 million who above 60 years of age which means 1 in 10 and which will be become 1 in 5 by 2050.

As Indians save regularly which is 42 per cent compared to global average of 35 per cent and with family and healthcare being their main motivators and they are also more prepared to take financial risks 24 per cent compared to 18 percent globally.

Our fathers who have worked hard and made fortune for us and also they are self sufficient and have the family support can be asset to the nation.

Good NGOs who can make use of their volunteering role in nation building will not be a bad idea Sirji!!Share

Are the "Hari Sadu" of your organization?

 

Does the growth of your subordinate/second in command ensure your growth in the organization?

This propelled me to think of the different bosses who shaped my career and whom I have assisted and helped them grow.

Type 1:Autocrats
They are like czars whose only aim to rule roost and make others life as hell as possible.They are hated by each of the team members and as everyone knows all his acts are only for his benefits.They scream,bark,bite and create their own system.They can be best described as "Hari Sadus" in your career path.
The best way to tackle is not to tackle at all ,"discretion is the better part of valour".

Type 2:Democrats
They are like Prime Minister of a coalition government.They mostly believe in consensus and are easily approachable and they believe in open office funda.
The best way to tackle them is show your best self and promote yourself with your ideas and suggestions.

Type 3:Back stabbers
They mostly lack in knowledge base and are actually depended on the team but does not show it.They take all the help from the team and present it as his own and ensures all the decisions from the top does not percolate to the team and whatever he percolates he takes all the credits for the same and makes it as his own benevolence.They don't feel a pinch to stab you in order to promote themself and can snatch the rug under your feet at any possible opportunity.
The best way to tackle them is to open a line with his bosses and feed them with relevant info about the real creator ,as and when necessary.

Type 4:Mother hen
They can never believe that his team can grow and occupy his chair in future.
But at the same time he protects all team and never allows you to come in the firing line.
The best way to manage them is to make him realize that he(the boss) is due for a promotion and he should worry about his colleague(who is his competitor )than the lowly team members.

Type 5:The Great leveller
Though he has grown but he always believe that nobody else is better than him to be a good shepherd and he is always there to go down to the frontline and channel level to take care of the issues.The team members feel there is no need for them in the organization.
They best way to tackle them is to tell them the story of the Prime Minister of the nation doing the work of a corporator.

Type 6:The Ignitors
This type of bosses are not involved in your day today activities,they are neither concerned whether you are online offline ,in the office or on tour ,etc.
There only concern is "you take what you want and deliver I what I want".They give all the freedom and try to ignite your mind and and fire your imagination and in turn you own your success(or failure) to yourself.
The best way to manage them is get the maximum out the system(boss)and propel your growth by performance.

Managing the Boss is nothing but managing his thoughts and his liking ,his past,his aspirations and if still you get time to manage yourself and think of yourself and your future then do it!!
Having said this one thing certain ........................................ Managing your Future is nothing but Managing your bosses Future!!Share

Life long Customer Loyalty program

The loyal customers must get additional vantage points for the loyalty shown towards the brand.
This can be done by giving the customer some kind of Unique ID which can be used the customers
1)in case of new purchases by the same customer.
2)it can be also be used by some other customers who have been promoted the same product by the existing customers.
3)a relatively large chain can be built by the company and the members keep on getting the loyalty benefits during the customer life cycle of huge and loyal customer base.
4)these customers act as brand ambassador for the company by their word of mouth stories .Share

Real Life Leadership situations..Conquest of Fear

One quality which separates the Successful persons from not so Successful is Conquest of Fear by the Successful.
"Darr ke agey Jeet hai" describes the feelings in a great way.During my career as a Sales and Marketing Professional I have seen it myself.
For lesser mortal like us Fear is not just climbing a mountain or doing a bungee jumping,it is as simple as going into the Vice Presidents/CEO's cabin and talking to him.
I have seen great professionals with performances delivered on daily and monthly basis,get butterflies in their stomach if the head honcho calls them.
The most perceptible and visible thing in a person with fear is their presentation skills,which takes a beating.The fear in such cases are due to lack of confidence in themselves and also they suffer from tremendous inferiority complex.
There are various kinds of fear(phobia) but many suffer from the fear of unknown.These personalities are not even aware of the reason of their fear.
They realize that a particular kind of fear has creeped into their body,mind and heart.The solution for such fear is nothing but to take a deep breath and say to yourself "I am in control".

Positive affirmations changes the fear cloud in your mind and you feel confident and are ready to nip the fear bud in the roots itself.

Make it is practice to take a deep breath and say"I am in control" every hour and within and a week's effort you will start feeling better.Share

Why Shobha De cries in Romania?

I found it heart breaking... look into those sad eyes. Look at the plastic begging bowl. There she was at the palace gates in Krakow on a cold evening, playing a single tune over and over again on that little accordion. I placed a few coins in the bowl.... but couldn't walk away-----Shobhaa De


Poverty is the curse all over the world and it does not know any religion and and there is choice to the children to choose their parents.

The situation in India is worse and still we need a foreign location to shed our tears.


People who matter like Shobhaa De can take causes of poverty eradication in India.

Why waste your talents and huge influence in the top echelon of the Public administration and Ministries?
Rather work for employment generation and other real and more prioritised social issue than show your skin in page 3 of a national daily.

Come on Shobhaa the nation pays you through the currency of Love and Publicity!!Share

Baloch issue will figure in Indo-Pak dialogue: Gilani

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that Baloch issue would be raised during bilateral talks with India when it resumes.

Why are the Indians perspiring when the "B" word is raised by Pakistan?

If we are not involved what is the reason for such a panic reactions from all quarters? Let them raise "B" for Balochistan ,the Indians can raise "K" for Kashmir,"P" for Punjab so on and so forth.

After decades of fuelling the anti India feelings in Kashmir and Punjab now Pakistan is showing its helpness in Balochistan.

After presenting so many evidence of Pakistani interference in Indian internal affairs and sponsoring worst kind of Unislamic and horrendous acts against the sovereignty of India and which were duly corroborated by Uncle Sam still Pakistan did not do anything to stop the anti India camps in Pakistan.

Sometimes a thorn is used to take out a thorn.

Lets payback Pakistan with the same coin that they used against India.

Long Live India!!Share

Can we use Religion for national interests?

Can we use Religion for national interests?

National issues can be a friendly neighbourhood which is essential of India to prosper and take on the world.Our neighbourhood is infested with China and Pakistan who always breathe down our neck and makes our instability their foreign policy cornerstone.


As they say"enemies enemy is your Friend"..India is battered by both China and Pakistan in most collaborated efforts.

One at time its better to take on the bigger neighbour China which if taken care will resolve the other problem.

Apart from the common border both the nations are one of the oldest civilization.

However one of the common but neglected commonality is the religion.

The majority of Chinese follow Buddhism which has its inception and strong followings in India as well.In the national interest we Indians with the help of Buddhist religious leadership can create an understanding and strong bonding with the Chinese religious leadership can influence the Chinese psyche.

This will help project India as the fatherland of their majority religion.

It is always the person who is at the helm of the affairs can tilt the situation in our favour.The case in the point is how come China suddenly drops the Sikkim issue.The primary reason is the Vajpayee's personal charisma which altered the scales in our favour.

Similarly the India-US relationship got hoodwinked by the personal relationship of Nehru with them.It took not only the end of cold war but also the growth of India as economic behemoth to change the perception of US towards India.

In case of China it is only the religion which will make the Chinese bite the bait sooner than expected.

Long Live India!!Long live our religions!!!Share

Real Life Leadership Situations..Dream Big ..Dream Moon!!

One of the Real Life Leadership situations which I encountered was the case of Ramesh Sojitra who as a teenager living in a small Saurashtra town,was fascinated by colour prints. Such was his passion that at 22, he ran away from Dhoraji to Mumbai, leaving behind tracts of land his father wanted him to farm.
He mopped floors at a printing studio in Mumbai and worked as an office boy so that he could learn the tricks of the trade. Soon, along with his friends he started a small printing business in Mumbai.
Two decades later, Sojitra, 44, is close to redefining Indian GIS (Geographic Information Systems) segment has developed an integrated GIS and image processing software, which will help prepare better maps. This has applications in sectors like defence, telecom, infrastructure, urban planning, agriculture, environment, power, disaster management and healthcare.

Those with passion so strong that for them normal achievement is no achievement.

For them their Passion is their Mission.They believe they can and they did.

Stories like that of Ramesh Sojitra inspires many with entrepreneurial aspirations.

Those who dream Big and think and act consciously(their passion gets ingrained in their subconscious mind) never fail in life.

Even if they do they will treat these failures as stepping stones and launching pads for a bigger assault .

Those with Positive Attitudes are always motivated to take Definite Positive Steps in Life and they succeed.

We salute the true Indian entrepreneurial skills.

Long Live India !!!Share

My Experiments with Truth..Sach Ka Samna

I still remember the days when as a primary school student I have to accompany my family to some family engagement in our native place.

Though I protested mutely about the first semester examinations I was elated to go there and enjoy the holidays.Seriousness of the career and exams are what what I got much later in my life.

After the much enjoyed holidays I found myself sitting for the exams.

Though not sure but still remember it was Geography.Always got cent percent in this subject and so not knowing many answers made me feel that my life is nearing the end.
What will class say if I fail?

What will be impression on teachers for whom Sun can forget to rise but I failing is impossible.

What will my parents thinks?

Finally I decided to just keep the Geography book inside the desk and started writing the papers.

Alas the invigilator got wind of my misadventure!!

The scolding itself was enough for me rectify the situation.

My maiden experiment with Truth ended at least in my primary school tenure.

Joining Scouts was always for girlie thing.
Chance of joining the National Cadet corp that too in Air wing was enough for the boys to mature as men.After school the selection started and I was pretty sure that I will be selected.But Alas I was rejected because of my spectacle.I thought it gave not only clear vision but also a studious look which the teachers favoured and the opposite sex liked.

I spectacle which gave vision was there to my life dark and so unmanly.
I was seeing other students appearing for that "parade" test and getting selected and I was standing and visualizing the amidst the girls in the Scout parade.

Yuk!!

With a flash of brilliant thinking I took off my spectacle and shoved it in my school bag and again appeared for the "parade" test with the next upcoming batch.

As the "Luck" have been the NCC Sir could not recognize me and I got selected.

Thank God I was Man again.

After this successful Experiment with Truth during my two eventful years I was awarded the Best Cadet,Led the entire state for National Integration Camp and also became the Blue eyed boy(nee Man) of the corp.

Keep on Experimenting ...Share

What is Life?Is it the search for Money,fame,peace,love...

Sometimes while running towards the end you stop , take a deep breath and start thinking what is Life?
The four letter word looks so simple that any soul can know the true meaning.
Can you really do that?
As per oxford dictionary Life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth and functional activity.
As per Wikipidia the meaning of life constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of human existence.
Enough is enough !!

Why I am running around?

Where will I reach after such a journey?

What will I get after such a torturous journey?

When death is certain why toil so much?

What are we earning for ?


It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds.
Stop…

Will get mad ..


Life is nothing but a journey..

It’s a voyage ..enjoy it !!

Life is simple,we make it complex by adding all non sense to it.

The greatest discovery is the Discovery of Self.

You see again I am on the journey to discover self..

Its never ending ..Its limitless….Its infinity….

Albert Camus observed, we humans are creatures who spend our lives trying to convince ourselves that our existence is not absurd.
Ha Ha Ha ….

Share

Real Life Leadership Situations--Obama puts off the racial flare ups

Obama has invited Massachusetts cop Sergeant James Crowley and Harvard don Prof. Henry Louis Gates, who had a racial run-in last week, to the White House to smoke the peace pipe  over a beer. They have both accepted the invitation.

Obama moved to defuse the situation that he partially aggravated when he weighed in in favor of the Harvard don, a distinguished African-American scholar and a close personal friend, by saying the police had acted ''stupidly'' in arresting him when he (Gates) called them about a burglary in his house. It turned out that the President made several questionable assumptions, including suggesting that the incident was racially motivated, and the President has since backed off a bit.

Can we imagine the most powerful man in the world to taking steps to dose off the racial fires which he has inadvertently helped to aggravate the situation?

Can we think of any Indian Parliamentarian with such statesman like behavior?

We have all powerful people's representative who are responsible for fuelling communal rights ,emptying the state coffers,creating overall disharmony and putting the nations integration at stake.

Our Parliamentarian should learn from Obama and save the nation.

Long Live India and Long Live Obama!!!Share

Real Life Leadership Situations...Gold from Waste

The other day I was travelling in long distance train.A gentleman in his sixties was sitting quite for more than last two hours.The Silence in that part of the boogie was killing.Normally travelling alone has its disadvantage.Though an extrovert I always communicate with the fellow travellers to understand the true meaning of Life and try to motivate myself by knowing the positives of the common man.

I couldn't stop myself from asking the gentleman about his life and what does he do for living.

"I clean to earn" said the gentleman.Also he earns handsome for his venture.Its a company which cleans Railway oil tankers and sell the waste to make both ends meet and that not for that gentlemen but for at least 50 people in his organization.

I wondered how creative people bitten by entrepreneurial bug can generate capital for the society albeit in a smaller scale.


Next time you see a waste think of the old traveller who Converts Waste into Gold.

Every Indian can't be a Dhirubhai or Narayan Murthy but nothing can stop us from Dreaming Big!


Long Live India !!

Share

U.S. Airline Gives an Apology to India's Kalam..Sheer waste of Public time and money

Continental Airlines Inc. Wednesday apologized to India's former president, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for frisking him before he boarded a flight to New York.

The apology came a day after India's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security filed a complaint with the local police against the Houston-based carrier for "wrongfully" frisking Mr. Kalam on April 21, in contravention of bureau rules that exempt specified VIPs from such body checks.

Continental said in a statement that it has formally apologized to the former president for any "misunderstanding and/or inconvenience related to the security screening on April 21."

Though the airlines may have apologized,they will keep on doing so as per their rules and regulation.

Man of Dr.APJ's stature should not created such a hue and cry for a non issue.

Kalam saheb is known for his humility and has right approach towards issue.

Its sad to see such an esteemed personality wasting along with the nincompoops MPs who are more concerned with these issues which creates more noise than on issues concerning the people who have elected them to take care of their issues.


Long Live Indian Democracy!!!

With the type of elected members in the Parliament it is only God who is managing the country.Share

India sitting on Time Bomb..Population Bomb

The world has a population of 6 billion. As of March 2001, the total population of India was a little over 1 billion. Of this number, 157,863,145 are children up to the age of six years (81,911,041 males and 75,952,104 females). Despite the fact that India was the first country in the world to have a population policy, not much has been achieved in terms of population control.

India is facing an intense crisis of resources. There is fierce competition for the nation's limited natural resources leading to quarrels between states, between communities and even families. Our land and water resources are being exploited to the hilt. The exploitation of mineral resources is threatening forests, nature reserves, and ecology. Seventy percent of the energy resources need to be imported putting constant pressure on us to export more or face currency devaluation. Over use of resources is contributing to natural disasters occurring more frequently and with greater devastation.

Before Gulam Nabi Azad no Health Minister was even bothered about the consequences of this time bomb.

The population control project concerns all the Ministries but you can hear any word from any other Minister.

In fact this project should be taken on war footing by the GOI and the private sector organization with social responsibilities should be involved .


All the NGO's first task should be to educate the various strata of population about the consequences of population hazard.

Now its a Do or Die situation for India!!

Come on India Stop bragging about population being an asset!

Let it not become a Curse for India!!Share

Role of Indian Television Industry in Character building of Indian Youth

The Indian Television Industry has been in existence since last 4 decades and have grown leaps and bounds.

The viewers have become aware of the various facets of life.
However a deep analysis shows that most the channels focus on daily soaps,reality shows,daily sensational news which consists of current affairs and economic situations in the country.

There is nothing positive about Indian TV shows as far as the character building is concerned.

What is that is Positive about Indian TV channels?

Are we there to see only and tear jerkers and reality shows where you wash your dirty linen and get paid?

Are we there to see only repeat telecast of cricket matches and get excited about our past glories?

Now the challenge is if not these then what?

The irony is the Indian Youth is himself not aware of what is beneficial for him in future.He is living in the make believe world of daily soaps and reality shows.

If you see around you will find many stories of achievements by normal middle class public and lot positivity in the air.

Is there a TV channel which can take up the positive aspects of various small things and events in our daily lives than living to see to the dirty world of Indian politician?Share

The Second Step..Alternative Career in Training on Personal Development

Since so many seasons ago I wanted to know more about myself.This thought process have taken me on a voyage to discover myself in more holistic terms.

"When you were born you cried while the world rejoiced.Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries while you rejoice"...this is what I wanted in my life.

One among 6 billion mankind is too out of proportion.

How many lives I can touch while walk this beautiful planet?

What impact I will leave on the those minds whom my thoughts have touched and helped them to better themselves?

This made me start a new journey of training and motivating people with Personal development programs.

On 11 July 2009 a small step towards the fulfillment of my discovery had been taken.

By this step I don't know how much I can change other's life but it has definitely changed my life.

There is sense of fulfillment which has opened a new window in my life and given whole new direction.

I was believed that the success of getting ahead is getting started.

The small step of mine is a giant step for my Life.Share

Real life Leadership situations-Hands on Guidance to your team

Roles and responsibilities of a leader who is handling manpower .

1)Sit with team and discuss and arrive at the plan of action for each channel partner.
Discuss ,guide and help him in implementing the channel partner wise strategies.
The team is not equipped to do the same himself.
He needs your help .

2)Make him think beyond normal and improve his horizon.
Help him in thinking bigger.
He will respect you when you help him to grow in life and career.

3)Create an enthusiasm in the team on daily basis and make his work a fun.
He will love to do a Work which is Fun and not a Fun which is Work.

4)Guide them to do data analysis and make them number driven.
Make him realize that the targets sacrosanct.

5)Create an internal competition among the team members.

6)Challenge them to take your place and let him handle the complete area for a day.

7)Don’t allow them to take shortcuts in life.

8)Last but least first be Role model yourself .
They should look upto you.He should always feel that every time you meet him you will open a new window in his mind.

9)Be a Man of Character and help them be one themselves.

10)Don’t be his friend or else you will be not able to command respect.

11)For every situation there is a “Guru Mantra”.
Find out what is that and use it to accomplish the task.

Hope we will use these 11 Guru Mantra to meet our goals .

All the Best!!

Share

Real life Leadership situations-Change the Attitude or Change the person

As they say change is the only constant and we in profession of managing business and leading teams constantly face situation where we need to deliver something form a certain individual and he always fails in that.

A through investigation and after many deliberations you realize that the individual does not want to change his behavior.
I am talking of real life situation where one of my team member never wanted to change his attitude towards product knowledge. I wondered how come he survived so long with such an lousy attitude .

When he was assigned to me the first thing I realized is that he is wanted to live his professional life without bringing in any additional knowledge or without developing any new skill sets.

Regular coaching was a total failure in this case. The tough nut he was that I have made to him sit and learn the products but he was adamant on not doing so.
The beauty of these sessions was that he never said no but never done anything also.

As a leader you can have limited to deliver .I also agree that you won’t get all the mature guys in your team.

But the question is how long you can wait for him to change.

The steps any leader can take to change a non performing individual are …

1)Make your expectations clear about his roles and responsibilities.

2)See if there is gap in the expectations and the productivity or deliveries.

3)Make a coaching cum mentoring plan .
The plan must include theoretical and practical training.

4)Test his knowledge and skill sets and make him realize his shortcomings/improvements.

5)After a suitable time period if he does not change.
Change him.

6)Don’t waste your time.Share

Optimists live longer and healthier lives

Optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists as per a study by researchers at University of Pittsburgh.

Researchers looked at rates of death and chronic health conditions among participants of the Women's Health Initiative study, which has followed more than 100,000 women ages 50 and over since 1994.

Women who were optimistic -- those who expect good rather than bad things to happen -- were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause than pessimists and 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease after eight years of follow up in the study.

Optimists also were also less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke cigarettes.

The team, led Dr. Hilary Tindle, also looked at women who were highly mistrustful of other people -- a group they called "cynically hostile" -- and compared them with women who were more trusting.

Women in the cynically hostile group tended to agree with questions such as: "I've often had to take orders from someone who didn't know as much as I did" or "It's safest to trust nobody," Tindle said.

"These questions prove a general mistrust of people," said Tindle, who presented her study Thursday at the American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

That kind of thinking takes a toll.

"Cynically hostile women were 16 percent more likely to die (during the study period) compared to women who were the least cynically hostile," Tindle said.

They were also 23 percent more likely to die from cancer.

Tindle said the study does not prove negative attitudes cause negative health effects, but she said the findings do appear to be linked in some way.

"I think we really need more research to design therapies that will target people's attitudes to see if they can be modified and if that modification is beneficial to health," she said.

A person who thinks positive thinks positive on the death bed and pessimist thinks negative in the best of the situations.

Optimists are happy go lucky people and their optimism is contagious.Always surround yourself with optimist people and try your bit turn one pessimist into seeing the positive side of life.

Long Live the Optimist and the Pessimist!!Share

Blind hiker travels the Appalachian Trail--Definite Positive Step

Trevor Thomas climbed The Appalachian Trail which peaks at the end of 2175 mile journey which is not an easy assignment for even for serious hikers and climbers. But Trevor Thomas truly defied the odds:

He was a third-of-a-mile from the rocky summit of Mount Katahdin, a granite giant that climbs skyward out of Maine’s 100 miles of wilderness.

“Just keep moving,” he said to himself. “Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

Hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is an accomplishment few people can claim. This year about 1,600 have tried and about 460 have finished.

Only one of them — Thomas — was blind.

For Thomas, stricken by a rare eye disease in 2004, the challenge offered something valuable — a chance to restore faith in himself.

In this world we are more fortunate to serve ourselves and the world .Still many among us just while away our time and energy without taking any positive definite steps in our life.

Human being has unimaginable potential.However to convert this potential energy into a substantial force is the work of one in million!!Share