1. Failure is an event, it is not a person.
2. Be a lifetime student.
3. Read something inspirational, informational everyday.
4. Listen.
5. Start and end the day with positive input in your mind.
6. Learn to embrace complexity.
7. Emphasize achievements, not money.
8. Family is a critical base.
9. Do not limit yourself.
10. Live below your means.
Watch what you eat – it might reveal more than you think it does!
There’s an old story that Edison always believed in taking the people he was thinking of hiring, out to lunch. When the soup arrived, he would sit back and watch. Those that tasted the soup before salting it, he wouldn’t immediately cross them off his list. Instead, he would ask them questions and keep an open mind about their possibilities. However, anyone who salted his soup before tasting it wasn’t worth his salt. Why wouldn’t he hire these people? Because Edison believed these individuals had blinders on when it came to looking at life – they had too many assumptions about what was possible and what wasn’t. After all, they assumed the soup needed salt before they tasted it. So perhaps Edison was right-that you can tell a lot about a man by when he salts his soup. It’s interesting to think about.
Moral of the story – Next time you’re invited to lunch by management or a prospective new boss, hold the salt until after you taste the soup!
The best solutions in life are simple. Simple is beautiful. Today many managements and organizations are busy creating better and better solutions. Its time that they ensure that processes and systems ensure accomplishment of purpose they set out for.
I do not know the authenticity of this story but it has been quite popular on the email circuit. It is the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan’s biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Moral of the story:
1. Always look for simple solutions.
2. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem.
3. Learn to focus on solutions not on problems.
“If you look at what you do not have in life, you don’t have anything”
If you look at what you have in life, you have everything”
TATA Group‘s Indian Hotels’ Ginger Hotel is a very great concept. It provides smart accommodation at reasonable price. The charges for single room are Rs 999 and double room are Rs 1199. And we get a discount of Rs 50, if we book it online.
So need to spend a bomb while on your accommodation when you are on a business trip. This helps business travelers like me whose main focus is business. Our entire day is usually packed with meetings and we have our food outside only. What we actually need is a clean and comfortable place to stay. Ginger exactly serves this purpose. It scores better by providing facilities like WiFi, Multi-Cuisine Restaurant, Gym, Meeting Room etc. to the guests. Thus it lives up to its USP of Smart Basics! Time to check it out!
Technology change is the only constant. The speed and breadth of technology change as only widened over the last decade. Today, many new and emerging technologies are competing for the attention of IT Leaders. CIOs are also hard-pressed to choose the right technology for their organization as technology is a competitive differentiator today.
Recently, The McKinsey Quarterly carried an article on that addresses the above topic – Two New Tools That CIOs Want. The two technologies identified to bet the future on are : ‘server virtualization’ and ‘software as a service’.
Excerpts:
• Among the many new technologies competing for the attention of CIOs, two in particular—server virtualization and software as a service—are high on their radar screens and have a strong potential to bring real savings.
• Virtualization is a software technology that allows servers to run multiple operating systems, thus raising utilization rates. Software as a service is delivering savings of 20 to 40 percent and freeing some companies from the chore of maintaining certain common business applications.
• Together, these technologies signal a shift: instead of running programs on specific machines, companies are adopting a more flexible architecture that allows them to host and manage applications more efficiently.
The Art of Problem Solving: 5 Steps to Success
Problem Solving Skills are one of the key pre-requisites for success in today’s competitive corporate world. If you can analyze a situation, create different scenarios, visualize implications of different alternatives, choose the optimum alternative and execute if flawlessly, you will have people eating out of your hands. Even at Magnet, we look for people who are part of solution, rather than stuck in problem maze.
Problem Solving Skills can be groomed over a period of time. What is needed is the attitude and discipline and above all, the love to combat the problem and derive a solution.
I found a good article by Lyndsay Swinton of ‘Management for the rest of us‘ on Problem Solving Skills. Here it is:
Legendary problem solver Albert Einstein was onto something hot when he said “No problem is solved from the same consciousness that created it”. He knew about the art of problem solving and if he’d written about it, he may have broken it down into these 5 easy to follow problem solving steps.
1. Flexible mind, flexible solutions
“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one you have”. Now I’d like to claim that for myself, but a good lady called Emile Chartier said it before me. Beware when you only have one solution to a problem. It either means you don’t understand the problem or you’ve not taken the time to figure out more creative, more likely to succeed, solutions.
2. It’s all in the mind
Your mental state is inextricably linked to your physical state, so if you’ve reached mental gridlock, take a physical break to get the thought traffic moving again. Go for a walk, listen to music, tidy up your desk or do whatever it takes to free your mind and open up your mind to creating new, innovative solutions to your problem.
3. Why oh why oh why?
Ask yourself, why is this a problem? And ask again. And again. Like a stuck record, repeatedly asking why, allows you to pin point with much more precision and accuracy why the problem is a problem. And it busts myths and assumptions until all you’re left with are a few lonely, useful facts.
4. Rose coloured glasses
Describe your problem to your mum. Then describe it to your 6 year old nephew. And do another version for your boss. Bet the problem was different each time you talked about it. Taking a different perspective on a problem can lead you to a solution (particularly 6 year olds, as they are some of the most straight-talking magical thinkers around!). If you want to get fancy, you can call this problem solving step “re-framing”.
5. Dream a little dream
You probably wrote fantastical stories as a child that ended “and then I woke up!” You crossed rivers, fought dangerous fights and saved the day. In dream-land there are no limits, no boundaries or limits on resources. If there were a magic wand that would solve your problem, what would that be like? Describe in great detail what you see, hear and feel about this problem free state. It’s an engaging and powerful mental game to play, and increases your chance of solving the problem many times over.
Its KBC Time folks!
The show that changed the fortunes of Star Plus in India and resurrected the career of Amitabh Bachchan is back with new energy, new look, new strategy and of course, new host – Shah Rukh Khan. The media has already done great service to KBC by highlighting SRK and Amitabh cold war.
KBC3 is live at www.kbclive.com. The site sports an energetic look in its new colors. One can play KBC Online, download wallpapers-ringtone, get show updates etc. It also has used Web 2.0 elements for social networking. The main highlight is definitely going to be the SRK Blog and content build around him.
Star Plus has shown that it is going full guns for KBC3. The promo videos and TVCs have been amazing so far and got thums-up from all. It is a refreshing change and quite creative. It is also one of the most debated ads on Agencyfaqs.com. Star is also heavily inserting KBC content in its soap for cross promotion. Will the show live upto the hype? We will know on Jan 22 9pm.
I read this article named The Relationship Between Clutter and Debt at The Family CEO Blog. It speaks about the relationship between clutter and how we manage our finances.
Yes, there is a relationship between clutter and money. If we are not systematic and particular in organizing ourselves, we would tend to be laid-back about managing our finances. And lack of financial mismanagement have saddened many a life.
Some excerpts from the post:
First there’s the obvious: most clutter consists of items purchased. And that costs money. While some things come into our lives for free, many are things that at one time we wanted or thought we needed and so we purchased them. More purchases eventually equal more clutter.
I also believe that there’s another less obvious relationship. By choosing to have less (de-cluttering) I tend to value it more. Letting go of things creates a feeling of contentment and satisfaction rather than a desire to have more. Don’t believe it? Help your child clean up his or her room or playroom and watch as they re-discover toys, books, and games they had forgotten they had.
That’s because clutter represents stuff that isn’t valued. How much can I really care about items that have found their way to the bottom of my closet or a box in the basement? My goal is to have less but to really care for and value what I have.
Apple had a great launch for iPhone at MacWorld 2007 where it met the expectations of its cult fan following. Now iPod is back in news for its impact on Forex economics. iPod has been accepted as a global standard for measuring purchasing power parity (PPP) across the globe.
CNN Money says:
Along the lines of the Big Mac index launched 20 years ago by The Economist magazine, the survey prices the 2GB Nano in U.S. dollars and found Brazilians pay the most for an iPod, shelling out $327.71, well above above second-placed India at $222.27. Canada was the cheapest place to buy a Nano at $144.20, while Australia ranked 19th at $172.36, cheaper than Germany ($192.46), France ($205.80), South Korea ($176.17) and China where the machine is manufactured. The U.S. was fourth cheapest at $149.
The Big Mac Index is an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies and provides a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries. As stated in the Economist, it “seeks to make exchange-rate theory more digestible”. It is quite a popular index. Check the latest The Big Mac Index.
The Big Mac Index speaks about McDonald’s global power as well as acceptance as a common evaluation tool. With iPod gaining the same popularity, iPod has indeed gained currency!
Perfection vs Excellence : Which is the goal worth aspiring for?
Not everyone can achieve perfection but you can surely get excellence. Very few guys achieve perfection and those who achieve it are true genius. One of those geniuses is the guy who painted Monalisa. Da Vinci created the perfect enigmatic smile. People from all over cannot but admire his creativity. The painting still invokes praises from people and critics even today. It is the aim of every painter worth his salt to create something even 1% as good as Monalisa.
Excellence is a journey which never ends. And that is what make it a value to aspire for. One constantly needs to raise the bar and continue to improve.
Perfection means dead end for me. And I also believe that best should not be the enemy of good.
The key story which differentiates perfection and excellence is the story of a sculptor. In a kingdom there was a famous sculptor. Once the king commissioned him to design an statue of a perfect woman. He was overjoyed. He spent one and half years and came back with a amazing beauty. But one of the ministers pointed gave a suggestion for improvement in one of the anatomical features. Though the king was fine with the existing statue, the sculptor was not! He went back and came a year later with one more statue. This time the statue was indeed more beautiful than before. But the king thought that the nose could be enhanced further. The sculptor went and came after fifteen months. This was the best statue ever – the statue literally was alive. No one had seen such a perfect beauty. Everyone including the king showered lavish praises and the king gave him the best of the riches. The king affirmed that this was the most perfect statue ever made or seen! The sculptor started crying. The king was surprised. He asked what was wrong? The sculptor said that I now have no room to improve my skill. When I got feedback on earlier two statues, I was happy as I was learning and enhancing my skills. But now I do not know what to do. I hope I do not become arrogant or lose my hunger for creation.
The other big example is of Sanjeev Kumar, the versatile Indian actor. Sanjeev Kumar believed in continuous improvement and excellence. During his initial years, Sanjeev Kumar’s style was unique and natural. But over a period of time, he stretched his abilities and improved his skills. He beat himself and learnt new things. He became one of the most gifted actors and became known for his meditative explorations of his varied characters. He gave some of the most amazing performances.
Sanjeev gave some of the most amazing performances in Sholay, Aandhi, Mausam, Parichay, Khilona, Anhonee, Anamika, Seeta Aur Geeta and Manchali. Naya Din Nayi Raat, one masterpiece given brilliance by Sanjeev Kumar where he played nine different characters in the film. He suited the roles every bit.
Dastak gave him the first National Award as Best Actor. After winning the award, Sanjeev now had the responsibility to prove that he deserved the award and to ensure his quality of work. So he worked harder and became selective in the kind of roles he played and the films he chose. He studied the scripts and characters in detail. In spite of being a star, Sanjeev Kumar still opted for roles that were off the beaten track in films like Anubhav. Sanjeev Kumar was one of those few actor-stars to whom the role meant more than anything in the world. He was willing to play any character of any age in a film, even if it wasn’t the lead role, provided the role challenged his acting abilities, which of course were considerable. His efforts did not go in vain. He got the National Award once again for his outstanding performance in Koshish.