Sunday, September 18, 2011

Carrying the brick..

An architect who was walking around a construction site asked an apprentice what he was doing?

The child simply said I am carrying the bricks.

“No’’ said the Architect,”you are building a cathedral”.

Most of the times in our corporate life we are concerned about the targets which we chase and try to deliver . After a point we forget that we  are a part of bigger motive.

We forget that we are responsible for few families,a society and play our role in making this economy grow.
When we start realizing that we as sales guys are actually playing bigger roles that help achieve bigger things in life, our vision becomes clearer and we start enjoying the work itself.

A small change in vision is big change in attitude and loads of success!

Work to liberate yourself...

Long years back when I  joined an organization as a greenhorn ,I distinctly remember the day when at 6 I tried to leave the work place.And still remember the piercing stares and  slicing vibes of being non committal to my work.

Though I moved out of the office but in times to come I had found that I have a felt being left out in the race.

I have seen people who spent the entire day on the gossips and then suddenly when the non sales staff leave these cockroaches come out and with rings of smokes being let out they put their heads inside the PC monitors.

The culture of leaving the office when the last train is almost leaving have  created a vacuum in many people’s lives.

Then came the culture when everybody vied for being the person whose office presence is judged by the timing of the mail’s sent time. Some smart Alec started timing their mail sent in order to show their late night working!

Then came the culture of working on all the sixth day of the week to create an impression of hard working.I had a boss whose penchant for calling you to work on festival days was most hated by one and all ,but who dares to bell the cat.

In the corporate jungle you are supposed to work harder and now harder has been stretched to longer .
You feel guilty if don’t work longer.

In one organization I distinctly remember not seeing the daylight near my home on any weeks of years together.But still you feel guilty if arrive a little late the next day.

When Narayan Murthy said “don’t love your company love your work” many CEOs might have felt that he is implanting the bad seeds in the employee’s mind.

But who thinks about the burn outs among the employees?

In the hind sight we all might have started our career to liberate ourselves from poverty,drudgery,hell of being time pauper ,but in no time we have imprisoned ourselves without even realizing !!

Now you feel you have missed the bus of a destination called Life!

The Family of a corrupt man is more responsible for corruption ..


When you find Kalmadis and Rajas of the world , what do you feel?

Are they themselves responsible for the rampart corruption cases which made put their golden years in jail?

Of course they are!

But think again whether the corrupt man is responsible for this state of affairs by himself.

Think of person like Kalmadi. A pilot by profession some years back might have dedicated his life for the nation and could have won lot of accolades for the social work .
There is nothing wrong in becoming an entrepreneur.

What might have started as a little more earning opportunity like service centers and car dealing might have led to lot of murkier dealings to satisfy the needs of his family and aspiration of extended family members.

May be if the family could have prevented a corrupt person to stop his misadventures in the initial days or  might have revolted against his ways and means might have saved himself a whole lot of disgrace 

Just as the mother who was bitten by the son at the gallows  for not stopping his petty stealing activities during his initial days, similarly the wife and kids should have stopped enjoying the fruits of corruption during the hey days ,can save lot of us from falling to the hands of satan.

The so called Kalmadis and Rajas might have done of this for the family and for himself to live burden free life and alas they are not even free now!!

But are their families free? Yes they are lawfully but not morally!!

The family that does not stop the man from being corrupt is always full of guilt!


Saturday, September 3, 2011

The New Poor

Anyone who lacks money is poor by the standard definition. Of course 

without money you can neither eat nor enjoy. However without money you 

can still live on someone else’s money. You are always in debt and doubt.

Does that mean only lack of money makes you poor?

Think again!

With the new middle class rising and lots of education there is a breed of people who have everything in life .

Lots of money,houses,cars,holidays and hoards of clubs and pubs to splurge and loads of friends to pile on.

Can you really call them rich ?How do you define a rich?

Before we define richness, let us define life.Life is a journey.Everyone has arrived to finish it.

Many amongst have taken the literal meaning of life as a journey and since it needs to be finished and for 

many it means life is Race.

Now in order to win this race people slog for hours and go back with fat pay cheques and top positions in 

the corporate “maya jaal”.

What they lose in this race is the time to really enjoy this money in a way which will help you to grow 

morally and have a spotless character.

In this race most of the times you are speeding so fast that you can’t see your child growing and your loved

ones waiting for you at your home!

In this race you are spending so much time in meeting the outside world that your own world becomes 

empty!

What you have aspired for when suddenly see your own wife is not there in the sunset days of yours,your 

children have left the nests to build their own.

You don’t remember when was the last time you were with yourself!

You have arrived in life as the New Poor!!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Reinventing Yourself


We may be one among the millions who are running to make both ends meet and aspire for more.
It may some years that we are moving faster and faster for getting higher and higher.

A time comes when we are running like zombies not knowing where are we going? What are our goals ?

Suddenly you realize whatever you are doing is not taking you towards your goals, its actually not even worthy of pursuing.

Tired and bored , doing the same things for years together!

Actually the goal posts have shifted and so are your personal goals!

A time comes when you feel nonexistent to the family , friend  and to the world at large.

That’s the time to Reinvent yourself.

Are we the lesser mortals who face this situation?

No we are not alone.
Did you see a caterpillar changing to a beautiful butterfly?  

Did you see personalities like Amitabh Bachchan still surviving the Bollywood race?

Did you see the oldest lyricist in India Gulzar giving the younger lot a run for their money?

What did they do ? They reinvented themselves.


That’s the time to start again ,fresh for total makeover and clear goals to enjoy life once again and be happy and spread happiness.

Just remember....

  • Think through your present situation and come out with suitable goals for yourself.
  • Create and implement the action plan for the said goal.
  • Make yourself immune to the world’s habit of criticizing you.
  • Remember it will be painful to change yourself totally, so be patient.

Take pit stop but never stop till you have reinvented yourself.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Honest Indian raise your hand against Corruption


Those who want to list their clan’s names for Lokpal bill please raise their hands.

If this is asked to the people of this country I believe all except certain clans will raise their hands.

Still people will be amazed to know that how come anyone claim himself above board in this country inundated with corruption and make efforts not to include himself or his trade in Lokpal bill?


Here corruption has become a religion!

After the Anna movement people thought several clans will come forward and suggest that the Lokpal bill should include their trades also.


Alas that is not to happen!


Corrupt politicians will try their might and in collusion with the goondas,chamchas and dalals will try to malign everybody who is involved in the anti corruption movement so as to derail it.

India this is the last chance to show the corrupt people their right place,don’t miss this chance.

A nation with less corruption will be able to provide a better living condition to its citizen and their providing a conducive growth environment to India to prosper.


We Indians have a habit of not acknowledging the problem it reaches our door and we are personally affected.


It's time to change!

Monday, April 11, 2011

100 Post Cards to Manmohan Singh

100 Posts against the deadly Virus –Corruption!

When the entire nation was registering their protest against corruption and rallying behind the Gandhian soul called Anna Hazare , 100 citizens form Mumbai have lodged their protest to the Prime Minister of India by using one the oldest form of communication i.e.post cards.

Using the post card itself was novel thing looking at the condition the e mails, twitter and Facebook are meting out to almost extinct “post card”.The simple act of buying 100 post card amazed the lady at the counter and that might have completed her entire target.

With computers, laptop, palm top and mobiles in hand people are fast forgetting the art of handwriting.
The act of using a 50 paise post card itself is very personal and touching form of communication between two individuals and here is the question of making the Prime Minister awake of the ground realities of the nation.

These 100 citizens poured their anger out on the PM in their choicest language.


The writing on the wall is loud and clear –India is against Corruption.


Long live India!!




Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Corruption free India is my birthright and I must have it!

Corruption starts from the Top. The crusade must take us to logical conclusion. Politicians are the bane to the society. Every nook and corner of this nation is full of corrupt people.

Second war for Independence against corrupt has just begun.The Jan Lokpal bill will act as a deterrent against the corruption. The movement by Anna and team is biggest since Independence.

1.2 billion Indians have supported the Indian cricket team and helped them to get the required motivation to lift the world cup.Can this support be for our nation ,for our own people ,for our motherland who is being ransacked by the bloody politician of all hue and color?

The entire population of 1.2 billion is being fooled by just 1 lac bloody politicians.

Let Jantar Mantar be the Tahrir square of India.My appeal to all youth and student to support this movement and clean the system immediately.All political parties are equally responsible for looting this nation.All the terrorist attacks happen when there is someone in the political echelon or the bureaucrat who has sold the nation to the enemies of our motherland.
Political parties distributing Televisions, blanket , etc is nothing but corrupt practices by these leeches.3,00,000 Crore being stashed away in Swiss bank we have people dying every day due to starvation.


Keeping your eyes closed on corruption is nothing more than behaving like an ostrich and makes you an accomplice of the corrupt.Don’t keep yourself aloof of this movement.Speak up and come out in open.Half a century has passed and India is still hovering at the bottom of the heap of the nations.

We don’t have dictators like in Arabian and African nations but politician in India are ready to sell their mothers.
Once the Jan Lokpal Bill gets passed we can see a different nation arising in this world.It took us long to get independence from the Britishers but in days of international media breathing down your neck it will be a swift movement.Have patience and let the movement gather movement ,the entire government will fall like a pack of cards.

Enough is Enough,now its our turn to decide our future.


Let’s pledge our support to all those fighting against corruption.


Citizens of India wake up and fight for your right! 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

My best friends-Value Teachers


Who do you think is the man’s best friend?

Any guesses?

The best  friend of a child or a man is literature. It is the literature which shapes up the character of individual. We cannot discount this fact as it plays a decisive role in making a complete man.
Two such piece of literature which has shaped up my generation is Amar chitra katha and Reader's Digest.



As school going kid I tried to read many Amar chitra Katha initially by buying the copies from the books store.Gods and Demigods from Indian mythology like Krishna,Ram,Shiva  have played a key role in  making me aware of the spirituality and good things in life.

Similarly freedom fighters like Netaji,Gandhi,Tilak were responsible to bring the awareness of the sacrifices they and innumerable others have made to make my generation live in peace.

Also Rajputs like Rana Pratap and Moghul warriors like Akbar have taught us how to fight for our honor as well co exist peacefully with tribes of different religion.The amount of mythology and history which my generation has learnt from Uncle Pai’s Amar Chitra Katha could not be learnt from the school books.

               
                                   

The moment I stepped out of school, with the newly acquired freedom came the responsibility of being a good homo sapien.In that age when getting your hands on various literature which are naturally titillating ,the evergreen magazine called Reader’s Digest keep you grounded and helped you to become a good human being.This piece of art created by Dewitt Wallace never grew old with the elaborate Cover story,Humor in uniform,Health in your hands and various knowledgeable stories and articles.

The beauty of Amar Chitra Katha and Reader’s Digest is that the content is not time bound.Even today you can read a 10 or 20 year article is fresh and definitely relevant.
That’s reason when money was not free flowing, buying old Amar Chitra Katha or Reader’s Digest was worth.
Both of them are so good that you can gift the subscription to your relatives and friends and you will be remembered till eternity for such a worthy act.
You can sell newspapers and old magazines to old paper marts but selling Amar Chitra Katha and Reader’s Digest is sacrilege.They are so close to you heart, no they are a part of you ,your consciousness,your being human being!

Long Live ACK and RD!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Beware of goof ups ..Practice Check and Correct!


In the age of E mail and SMS and MMS the communication has become faster.

Actually for some it is faster than their thoughts!!

Once one of my friend was exchanging text messages with his very close friend. The language between the bum chums were nothing short of “beep beep” types. Suddenly his Boss called him and by mistake he replied back with a sms with the choicest of “beep beep”.In split second he realized his mistake of the goof up and somehow could pacify his Boss!!

Accidental marking of corporate communications to unintended parties had taken toll of the biggies in the field. In order to win a bid a certain corporate implored all their employees to buy the company's product and claim back the money. However the mail landed on the web!!

Once a Finance Minister of old empire was asked by journalist about the impending budget .Pat came the reply that the cigarette he is smoking will get costlier to him. Before the budget could be tabled, the press went berserk with the headlines “duties on tobacco is increasing” .The Minister had to pay for his goof up by putting in his paper.

The moral of the story is hold your tongue or rather your finger or more aptly thought before reverting on any form of communication. 

A simple way to do this is to Practice a method called “Check and Correct”.In this method the task is check what you to send and what are you actually sending before you hit the 'click' button.

This can be used not only in your personal or official communication but also can be very well used by students when they write their exams.This saves lot of goof ups and bad blood between not bum chums or colleagues.

That’s why it is said Thought moves faster than the Thinker!! 

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

AIDA model of communication for personal selling!!


Getting the money due to you out of the Government coffers is like desiring for Super Moon.


The same was happening in my home when father being an retired employee tried his best by writing many letters through registered post and scores of phone calls to get the amount due from an armed forces unit of the country.

Even I have called these gentlemen many times but in vain.There patent excuse was that we need to send this document or that photographs.This kept on going since last one year.Even after you send them everything and wait for your due,they will again start the "office office" game.

Many poor souls might have lost many of the chappal soles and still expecting anything will be blasphemy in front of these Government babus.


Finally I called that office at night 10 pm to know the name of the Head honcho of that division.As expected the Jawans were behaving as some terrorist have called them and I can bombard their centre through the phone.After lot of verbal duel I got the name of the Head honcho.

I was clear to call the Head honcho the next morning.Surprisingly I got a call from the Head honcho within minutes and he was screaming and saying ,"is this time to disturb a Government official" ? No logic like "Customer is king" in private sector was cutting ice as the head honcho said "do what ever you can" types.

My intention of getting the Head honcho Aware of my case was the first and most important step to get my job done,which I was farely successful as he himself told me that there were 150 such pending cases.

No sooner the office clock hit 10 am the next morning,I started getting calls from that office and the gentleman wanted me to believe that I made a mistake by calling the Head honcho at the unearthly hour.


He tried to tell me that the Head honcho was a gentleman and an officer which I believed as I was sure that he had shown Interest in my case and has taken Action to get it resolved.


The case got resolved in 24 hours time which was lingering and files pushed by different babus from one table to other for last one year just by applying the simple AIDA Model of Communication which stands for A-Awareness ,I-Interest,D-Desire and A-Action.

In AIDA , 50% effort on Awareness creation and 30% effort of Interest development followed by 10% each of Desire and Action is necessary to get your desired job done.


As said by William Butler Yeats, it must to ''Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people".