How often do you look at your phone?

Well it is close to 150 times in a day. Here is the detailed explanation for those 150 times. People working in more engaging, on the go work profiles might use more.

Monday blues: Lose the fear

Wanted to post a good one today for the Monday Blues series. See what I found online. Couldn't note the source but this is beautiful

Unless you try something, you wouldn't be achieving anything. Give it a try, if you are right, you celebrate.
If you are wring, you know how not to do something.

Lose the fear. Keep trying.

Monday Blues: Speed away

Speed away! Speed away on your mission of light,

To the lands that are lying in darkness and night;

'Tis the Master's command; go ye forth in His Name,

The wonderful Gospel of Jesus proclaim!

                                                                    (Julia Sterling)

How to elevate our consciousness

My friend Pooja posted this on her facebook profile and it makes a lot of sense. Read on...

What would help to elevate our consciousness and deepen our connection?

Here are a few basic and effective pointers:

1. A proper diet. Our food influences our mind. The Jain tradition has done much research on the effect of food on the mind. Ayurveda and Chinese systems and many other native systems the world over have recognized the effect of food on the psyche. Modern science confirms that food can have a direct bearing on our emotions. Emotionally disturbed children tend to eat more and suffer from obesity. A properly balanced diet has a positive impact on our emotions and thereby on our consciousness.
2. Light to moderate exercise
3. Panchakarma. In the ancient medical system of Ayurveda, there is a process of internal cleansing called panchakarma that involves massages, a prescribed diet and cleansing. This has helped thousands of people to come out of stress and behavioral disorders and is also a curative for many illnesses
4. Yoga, Pranayama and meditation. These are extremely vital to induce a sense of respect for one’s own body and the environment. They help to maintain a toxin-free system and thereby reduce the occurrence of emotional disturbances
5. Music and dance. These can bring rhythm and harmony in the body-mind complex; especially music that is not too loud and violent. Music that is soothing and creates a gentle sway and rhythm in one’s system, like folk and classical music
6. Nature. Spending time in nature, observing silence and engaging in prayer is very congenial for helping us to reflect on our own mind
7. Service to the less fortunate

Start with Sorry

Sometimes a simple sorry can solve problems. Sometimes it might not. I for one do not believe in saying sorry for things that I know I am right. Sometimes you have people who love to use the 'I-am-the-customer' tag too often to show that they are in control and can say what they want. I am sorry. I disagree.

So here is how you get out of situations like that. Stick to what you have done correctly and what you have done wrong. If there is a mistake, don't hold back - apologize. If you are not, then stay put.

To avoid confrontations, try and document every possible interaction and make of note of things you might forget. If you are a leader, ensure your team is on time, always. You wouldn't want to reprimand someone for your letting things go easy. If you are a team member, do it to stay accounted for anything you are asked for. After all this is what you would need to teach your team.

Like I said, if you are right, stay put. The fight is worth it.

Pic is from Emily's blog.

Roti sabji

You appreciate things better when you cannot have them. You appreciate things better when there is no price tag attached. You appreciate things better or value those things more which you miss.

Most of you who stepped out of home and miss mom's food would understand it or some of you who are still lucky to be at home would miss it.

This is a pic of what we had the first day at the Indian hotel, Sun and Sands in Manama, Bahrain. After reaching thousands of miles away to a different country, the first thing we seek is Indian food. Amazing how psyches work!

To give a marketing angle to this post, here it is...

Do your clients miss you? Will your service be missed? If not, what the hell are you doing????

All pics displayed here can be downloaded and used for free. Just give a link here. You can find more pics here: t3i photography. 

Simplicity is the new complexity

I was bowled over by this ad from Aircel. It is so simple and beautifully designed and yet so neatly conveys what they wanted to say. McCann Erikson's new autograph ad showcases the old concept of simplifying things to make them easier to understand and increasing the credibility. I must say this is awesome.

Sometimes it is important to be straightforward and simple to convey more effectively.

Do you matter?

Do you matter?

You would if you...

• Deliver extra
• Do the new
• Take initiative
• Take ownership
• Don't wait for time
• Don't wait for the right time
• Create opportunities
• Break chains
• Open doors
• Keep running
• Outperform

Now, do you matter?

 

Peace is...

Stolen from Himanshu Tomar's facebook profile.

Why Society Still Needs Feminism

My friend Niyati shared this post by Soraya Chemaly and it is brilliant. Read on.

"Because to men, a key is a device to open something. For women, it’s a weapon we hold between our fingers when we’re walking alone at night.
Because the biggest insult for a guy is to be called a “pussy,” a “little bitch” or a “girl.” From here on out, being called a “pussy” is an effing badge of honor.
Because last month, my politics professor asked the class if women should have equal representation in the Supreme Court, and only three out of 42 people raised their hands.
Because rape jokes are still a thing.
Because despite being equally broke college kids, guys are still expected to pay for dates, drinks and flowers.
Because as a legit student group, Campus Fellowship does not allow women to lead anything involving men. Look, I know Eve was dumb about the whole apple and snake thing, but I think we can agree having a vagina does not directly impact your ability to lead a
college organization.
Because it’s assumed that if you are nice to a girl, she owes you sex — therefore, if she turns you down, she’s a bitch who’s put you in the “friend zone.” Sorry, bro, women are not machines you put kindness coins into until sex falls out.
Because only 29 percent of American women identify as feminist, and in the words of author Caitlin Moran, “What part of ‘liberation for women’ is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? Did all that good shit get on your nerves? Or were you just drunk at the time
of the survey?”
Because when people hear the term feminist, they honestly think of women burning bras. Dude, have you ever bought a bra? No one would burn them because they’re freaking
expensive.
Because Rush Limbaugh.
Because we now have a record number of women in the Senate … which is a measly 20 out of 100. Congrats, USA, we’ve gone up to 78th place for women’s political representation, still below China, Rwanda and Iraq.
Because recently I had a discussion with a couple of well-meaning Drake University guys, and they literally could not fathom how catcalling a woman walking down University Avenue is creepy and sexist.
Could. Not. Fathom.
Because on average, the tenured male professors at Drake make more than the tenured female professors.
Because more people on campus complain about chalked statistics regarding sexual assault than complain about the existence of sexual assault. Priorities? Have them.
Because 138 House Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. All 138 felt it shouldn’t provide support for Native women, LGBT people or immigrant women. I’m kind of confused by this, because I thought LGBT people and women of color were also human beings.
Weird, right?
Because a girl was roofied last semester at a local campus bar, and I heard someone say they think she should have been more careful. Being drugged is her fault, not the fault of the person who put drugs in her drink?
Because Chris Brown beat Rihanna so badly she was hospitalized, yet he still has fans and bestselling songs and a tattoo of an abused woman on his neck.
Because out of 7 billion people on the planet, more than 1 billion women will be raped or beaten in their lifetimes. Women and girls have their clitorises cut out, acid thrown on them and broken bottles shoved up them as an act of war. Every second of every day. Every corner of the Earth.
Because the other day, another friend of mine told me she was raped, and I can no longer count on both my hands the number of friends who have told me they’ve been sexually assaulted. Words can’t express how scared I am that I’m getting used to this.
Because a brief survey of reality will tell you that we do not live in a world that values all people equally and that sucks in real, very scary ways. Because you know we live in a sexist world when an awesome thing with the name “feminism” has a weird connotation. Because if I have kids someday, I want my son to be able to have emotions and play dress up, and I want my daughter to climb trees and care more about what’s in her head than what’s on it. Because I don’t want her to carry keys between her fingers at night to
protect herself.
Because feminism is for everybody, and this is your official invitation.”

Pixar's 22 rules of storytelling

Pearls of wisdom

Lemons and oranges

Found this on google news today. One more reason to have ore orange juice and lemons.

In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have found that vitamin C can be used to effectively kill off the bacterium M. Tuberculosis.

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University chanced upon the finding during research into how TB bacteria become resistant to isoniazid, a first-line medication for TB. 

They observed that isoniazid-resistant strains were not producing a thiol compound called mycothiol.

“We hypothesized that TB bacteria that can`t make mycothiol might contain more cysteine, an amino acid,” said Dr. William Jacobs, professor of microbiology & immunology and of genetics. “So, we predicted that if we added isoniazid and cysteine to isoniazid-sensitive M. tuberculosis in culture, the bacteria would develop resistance. Instead, we ended up killing off the culture- something totally unexpected.”

The team suspected that cysteine was helping to kill TB bacteria by acting as a "reducing agent" that triggers the production of reactive oxygen species (sometimes called free radicals), which can damage DNA.

"To test this hypothesis, we repeated the experiment using isoniazid and a different reducing agent- vitamin C," said Dr. Jacobs.

"The combination of isoniazid and vitamin C sterilized the M. tuberculosis culture. We were then amazed to discover that vitamin C by itself not only sterilized the drug-susceptible TB, but also sterilized MDR-TB and XDR-TB strains," he explained.

To justify testing vitamin C in a clinical trial, Dr. Jacobs needed to find the molecular mechanism by which vitamin C exerted its lethal effect. More research produced the answer: Vitamin C induced what is known as a Fenton reaction, causing iron to react with other molecules to create reactive oxygen species that kill the TB bacteria.

"We don`t know whether vitamin C will work in humans, but we now have a rational basis for doing a clinical trial," said Dr. Jacobs.

"It also helps that we know vitamin C is inexpensive, widely available and very safe to use. At the very least, this work shows us a new mechanism that we can exploit to attack TB," he added.

(With ANI inputs)

Tax!

I was surprised to see a lot of tax being billed to me on my lunch bill the other day. I had checked in for pizza and though the actual cost was around 200, the bill came up to 280!

I don't mind if you include all that in the total pricing when I see your lunch at 200 option. May be I will mind before ordering. What do you feel about the high taxes?

Monday Blues: Let it pass

When you have hit a wall, blow it off and keep moving forward.

Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working as if the failure didn't mean anything to them. Keep running.

Monday Blues: The chain of lashing

Monday Blues: Shine on

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."

Writer, Edith Wharton

Drill a man

When God wants to drill a man, and thrill a man and skill a man,

When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part,

When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man

That all the world should be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways:

How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects;

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows converts him into shapes and forms of clay

Which only God can understand,

While man’s tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands;

Yet God bends but never breaks when man’s good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And with mighty power infuses him,

With every act induces him to try His splendor out,

God knows what He’s about. 

Read a wonderful post here.

Doers vs dreamers

6 types of advertisements

The 6 Keys To Being Awesome At Everything

 John Klymshyn lists our the 6 secrets yo being awesome at everything by Anders Ericsson. Interesting read. Things to follow to make a huge difference in your daily life.

1. Pursue what you love
2. Do the hardest work first
3. Practice intensely
4. Seek expert feedback, in intermittent doses
5. Take regular renewal breaks
6. Ritualize practice

Pic is from www.artician.com.

Why and what you should be measuring...

Ron Kaufman's article lists the advantages of measuring performance and how organizations would benefit from that.

Service Measures and Metrics are a valuable building block for service improvement. But to build a service culture, the methodology of these metrics must be uplifting for those you query and for the members of your team.

Clarify What You Are Measuring and Why
Just because you can measure many things doesn’t mean that it makes good sense to track them all. What do you really want to know, and what action will you take with what you learn? Review this list and then decide which insights will be most helpful to improve your service now.

Customer Satisfaction: What are your customers’ perceptions and expectations of your service? How satisfied are they with what you have delivered?

Customer Loyalty: How often do your customers buy from you? How often do they refer or recommend you? What is your share of their wallet? How connected do they feel to your service and your brand?

External Service Performance: Is the service you provide sliding stable, or stepping up? Are you hitting your performance indicators and meeting service-level agreements?

Internal Service Performance: Is the service level inside your company going up or going down? Are your colleagues providing service to each other that accelerates or impedes the performance of your organization?

Employee Engagement: How strong are the attraction, retention, and motivation of your employees? Are they connected to your vision, to your customers, and to each other? Are they just employees on the payroll, or active evangelists working with a vision?

Staff Development: Are your team members progressing as professional service providers? Is your service education making any difference? Are your employees getting bored or getting better? Are they seizing every opportunity to develop their service skills and mindsets?

Pic is from here.

The extra mile

Go the extra mile and you will see everything will come closer to you. Do you go the extra mile in what you do?

Window washers at the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee decided to go above and beyond their call of duty.

While washing windows overlooking the kids’ hospital beds, the workers decide to sneak in a little extra surprise. Dressed up as Superman, Spiderman, and Captain America, the washers gave the kids a little pleasant surprise. To make it extra special, they came in later on for a little meet-and-greet. 

Will you?

Time Management

“If I have been administered either a verbal or written schedule, then I consider it my absolute compulsion to adhere to it.” Amitabh’s Blog – Day 53

No wonder his quality of maintaining time is mentioned by everyone. People take you seriously if you stick to the time schedule. Just try to walk in to the meeting 5 minutes early, back to your seat from lunch - 5 minutes early, appointment – 5 minutes early, give that report – 5 minutes early. You may need to work hard to meet this deadline but keep a smile on your face when do make your entry and see the reaction of others. This would set a trend. And you would be THE change. Worth trying.

Try

“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

Either you do or you don't. There is nothing called try.
What do you say?


Pic is from Jolene's blog.

Monday blues: Fore give

This happened last Sunday at Sarjapur and fits my Monday Blues series.

A sudden jerk, horrible screeching sound and a clanking of metal and then I realise that a vehicle has hit me from behind.

I pull over, park and get down. As I get down I see the driver has hopped out and his friend who is in the passenger's seat is frantically shifting to the driver's seat. A group of 7-10 people has already gathered and are waiting in anticipation. The car has Kerala registration and the driver who was in the driver's seat before rushes to my side and is almost trembling and is whispering sorry. What do I do? What would you do?

As I inspect the ugly scratches on my car, in less than 30 seconds the crowd starts shouting at him and now there are close to 20 people! The other guy has come down now and we are blocking traffic. I look at the guy and his sorry face and I know I am in full control. What would you do? I look at him and tell him its ok. Frankly speaking both of them are stumped. They offer to pay and say something about insurance. I wave them off and say drive safe and get into my car. The smile and relief they have on their face is worth more than the few scratches on my car.

Try it next time. When you get a chance to screw someone's happiness, stop. You will feel up!

Pic is from here. 

Everyone has an audience

Modern life is ruled by social media or social justice. Everyone has an opinion and has an audience. Any act is not gone unnoticed or forgiven. The chance to make news is up for grabs and guess what no one is missing it.

 There are eyes everywhere watching you and your every move. No one would believe what you said as they can now verify. If you know some place where cameras aren't there now, wait and ye shall be seen soon.

It is important for us to behave properly. Though the justice system/delivery is a bit slow, it catches up to you. There are no exemptions. The more famous you are the higher the chances of you to be picked up. That is what the Ecuadoran envoy, Rodrigo Riofrio, forgot when he got into a fight with two women in a supermarket checkout line. It almost triggered a fight between the Ecuador and Peru. Good that diplomacy is going on but it also makes us wonder if we are alone anymore.

So next time you are angry or someone eggs you out, watch out, you may end up as Youtube's next sensation.

游子吟 ——孟郊 (The Wanderer's Song)

What do I post on mother's day? Should I write how much I love my mother? I tell her that every day. I would like to quote Meng Jiao (751-814) whose beautiful piece on mother is remembered as one of the best lines written about a mother's love in the last 2000 years. Dedicating these lines to the best mother in the world: Jhansi. 

Here it goes and the translation below in English.

游子吟 ——孟郊

慈母手中线，
游子身上衣。
临行密密缝，
意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心，
报得三春晖！

The Wanderer's Song -- Meng Jiao

With the thread in her hand, the kind mother
Is making clothes for her son leaving home.
She sewed with stitches close to each other
For fear he might about the world long roam
Who says grass that bathes in the spring sunshine
Can repay it with hearty feelings fine!


 

Screw driver!

What motivates you?
What makes you push forward?
What changes something in you and moves the wheels?
What lets you have goosebumps?
What makes you feel special?
What drives you?

If you feel your daily job is a business then you are just another guy. If you feel your daily job is a platform to transform lives, change attitudes, change believes, educate, learn and encourage, then you have a platform.

So what would you choose to do today?

Art is by Hugh MacLeod

Take it back!

Few days back I found this product on Flipkart and ordered it on their site. Let me tell you this. I am a frequent customer on their website and I love shopping there as it is simple and hassle-free. This one incident proved to be otherwise.

So after I ordered the product, it came on the last day of the expected dates and within a few minutes I packed it back as I was not happy with the quality of the product that was delivered wasn't up to the quality it was shown on their listing online.

So I called customer care and asked them to pick it back up and found that they don't do that! They would do that only if the product is broken and not in usable condition. Now you should have seen how upset I had become and even after patiently explaining to the agent to ask someone above him to check if it is possible but he was strictly reading from the rule book. So I had to search their policies and finally reach out to their Facebook page and post about it.

Surprisingly for Flipkart, I got a call in 15 mins and after listening to the problem they said they would send someone to pick it up. Sure enough there was someone to pick it up from me a couple of days later and the amount was returned. my faith in Flipkart was restored.

Is this the way you solve problems? Is this how you want to be known? Do you want me to feel that you are not empowering your front end staff? Is it true that you are showcasing a simple, yet fragile system when the most irate and aggressive client is the first one to get his queries/demands met? If that is the case, I am sorry for you. You aren't in the right track.

Have you had an experience like this? Who won? The rule or customer service?

Clean the soap!

I am forced to watch(secondary exposure) some of the soaps on TV these days and the content makes me sad! Let me tell you why.

Almost all the channels have a serial where men don't talk and women are portrayed as selfish, cunning, irritating, jobless, cussing and ignorant! I am surprised that every family has some twist, at least one unruly member, an idiot, a genius, a hardworking, a kid who is never shown studying and what not.

Do you actually watch this stuff? I mean everyday? What can I say? Is my understanding right or am I thinking it wrong? There are hundreds of subtle and sometimes direct annotations and references to illegitimate affairs, sexual undertones and what not. You might argue that some exposure is good at home for children, I want to see you face to face and have a serious talk. I am shocked as most of this is shared without a warning and suddenly is shown! I saw my friend's daughter so attracted to these soaps that she eats only when they are on.

I think it is time to clean the soap. I wish people behind them see that kids might be watching them too. Why can't you add more humour and fun to it? After all not all families in reality are fighting all the time. Shouldn't parents watch out?

Allergic to mediocrity

Hugh MacLeod talks about being allergic to mediocrity. Read on for his version. Read here for my version!

Is Mediocrity really all that bad?

You already know the answer.

Mediocrity is so poisonous because no one really complains about it. It envelops and sucks us in. Before we know it our standards are lowered and it sets us in the death spiral.  

So how can this be when the truth is that we take delight in the amazingness we come across in our daily lives?

It's because fighting the entropy of mediocrity is hard, and that is what this image is about. 

It's a reminder about standards. It is a reminder about the extra 1% that will make the difference. It is a reminder that 'good enough', just isn't.

We all know that we have a choice. Do you want to bring light, sparkle, or not?

You already know the answer.

Urgency and accountability are two sides of the innovation coin

Seth seems to be thinking on the same lines as I am or someone is irritating him with questions running in my mind!

As organizations and individuals succeed, it gets more difficult to innovate. There are issues of coordination, sure, but mostly it's about fear. The fear of failing is greater, because it seems as though you've got more to lose.

So urgency disappears first. Why ship it today if you can ship it next week instead? There are a myriad of excuses, but ultimately it comes down to this: if every innovation is likely to fail, or at the very least, be criticized, why be in such a hurry? Go to some more meetings, socialize it, polish it and then, one day, you can ship it.

Part of the loss of urgency comes from a desire to avoid accountability. Many meetings are events in which an organization sits in a room until someone finally says, "okay, I'll take responsibility for this." If you're willing to own it, do you actually need a meeting, or can you just email a question or two to the people you need information from?

Thus, we see the two symptoms of the organization unable to move forward with alacrity, the two warning signs of the person in the grip of the resistance.  "I can take my time, and if I'm lucky, I can get you to wonder who to blame."

You don't need more time, you just need to decide.

Read the history of the original Mac and you'll be amazed at just how fast it got done. Willie Nelson wrote three hit songs in one day. To save the first brand I was responsible for, I redesigned five products in less than a day. It takes a team of six at Lays potato chips a year to do one.

The urgent dynamic is to ask for signoffs and to push forward, relentlessly. The accountable mantra is, "I've got this." You can feel this happening when you're around it. It's a special sort of teamwork, a confident desperation... not the desperation of hopelessness, but the desperate effort that comes from being hopeful.

What's happening at your shop?

Light up!

Light!

Am suddenly drawn to them. Like bug to the fire. Like bees to honey. Like Tiger to chicken. Wherever I go, I am amused with the different types of lights. Or should I say glass?
Amazing forms, sizes, shapes and prices :)


Strange that they can't move, change, correct. Just stay and let the dust get collected. Interestingly enough, they let the light' brighten them inside out. No dust, darkness, shade or dullness lets their hope come down or stay gloomy.

Can you be a light? Can you make someone's day shine up? Or would you contribute to the gloom?

You choose.

Guess what. In the process of lighting up for others, they glow and shine themselves too!

All pics displayed here can be downloaded and used for free. Just give a link here. You can find more pics here: t3i photography.

Lessons from Adaah

Adaah!

That's my name. And I am pretty.
I have a pink watch, pink glasses, blue hairband, steel ear rings, white tee, blue jeans and a broken tooth. 

That's the intro given by this little girl in Bahrain where we met in the hall of an exhibition center. She was to the point and clear on what she had to say or rather who she was. 

Sometimes I think we as adults loose our identity when we choose to follow someone else. Time to stop and see what you really are and what you want to be. Is there a gap between what you dreamed of and thought about yourself and what you have become?

Then you should wake up and start moving in the direction of what you want to be.

All pics displayed here can be downloaded and used for free. Just give a link here. You can find more pics here: t3i photography.


 

Messengers or Leaders?

What is your leadership style? Do you want to create messengers or leaders?
You already know the answer!

Let me list the differences for you here and then you decide what you want to be.

Messengers:

• Do the job
• Are dull and boring
• Are slow
• Not closers
• Are easy to handle
• Don't ask questions
• Agree with you always
• Think what you want them to
• Are easy to mould
• Obey
• Stick to pattern
• Are submissive
• Cannot think outside the box
• Cannot bring you new business
• Cannot bring you revenue
• Are a dumber, older version of you!
• Are mediocre at best
• Don't give their best shot
• Are afraid
• Are dime a dozen

Leaders are the opposite!

So what kind of a manager are you? Are you creating messengers or leaders?
You know the answer.

What should you be doing?
You know the answer.

Pic is from MKG media

Wait upon the Lord!

I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34 4

Monday Blues: Has the Water entered my Ship?

Got this mail from a colleague today and how true can it be? 

Has the Water entered my Ship? 

 

In 1923, nine of the wealthiest people in the world met at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. 

Their estimated  combined wealth, exceeded the wealth of the Government of the US at that time. 

These men certainly knew how to make a living and accumulate wealth.
Attending the meeting were the following men: 

1. The President of the largest steel company, 

2. The President of the largest utility company,

3. The President of the largest gas company, 

4. The President of the New York Stock Exchange, 

5. The President of the Bank of International Settlements, 

6. The greatest wheat speculator, 

7. The greatest bear on Wall Street, 

8. A member of President Harding's cabinet. 

9. The head of the World's greatest monopoly 

That's a pretty impressive line-up of people by anyone's yardstick.

Yet, let’s examine what happened to them 25 years later: 

1. The President of the then largest steel company  (Bethlehem Steel Corp), Charles M Schwab lived on borrowed capital for 5 years before he died bankrupt.                                    

2. The President of the largest utility company,  Samuel Insull, died penniless! 

3. The President of the then largest gas company,  Howard Hubson, went insane. 

4. The then President of the New York Stock Exchange,  Richard Whitney, was sent to jail. 

5. The President of the Bank of International Settlement,  Leon Fraser, committed suicide. 

6. One of the greatest commodity traders (Wheat Speculator) ,  Arthur Cutten, died insolvent. 

7. The greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Jesse Livermore  committed suicide. 

8. The member of the US President’s Cabinet (President Harding's cabinet), Albert Fall,  was pardoned from jail just to be able to go home 

and die in peace. 

9. The President of the then world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, committed suicide. 

What they forgot was how to "make" life  while they got busy making money ! 

 

Money in itself is not evil. It is only a medium of exchange. 

 We need two kinds of education. 

 

One that teaches us how to make a living and the second how to live. 

Many of us get so engrossed in professional life that we neglect our family, health, social responsibilities. 

And when asked why we do it, we would reply "For our family" 

However, our kids are sleeping when we leave home. They are sleeping when we come home!  25years later, we’ll turn back and they’ll be gone to pursue their own dreams and lives. 

Lessons from a Ship: 

Without water, a ship cannot move. It needs water but if the water gets into the ship, it will face existential problem. 

 What was a “means of living” becomes a “means of destruction”. 

Similarly we live in time where earning is a necessity but let not the earning enter our hearts, for what was once a means of living will surely become a means of destruction for us as well ! 

 

 

So take a moment to ask yourself: 

“Has the water entered my ship?” 

 

·  Work for a cause, not for applause. 

·  Live life to express not to impress. 

·  Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt

Monday Blues: Care... it helps

One more for the Monday Blues series.

My friend, Pooja Rajpal shared a video today and am sharing here.

The video has a simple message. Everyone has a problem and is trying to fight it and yet going along on his way through the day. Control your emotions, anger when someone is at your mercy. After all, sometimes all we need is a good hug.

Is wife a gorilla?

Is wife a gorilla? No I am not hinting about the weight but is she angry, irritating and aggressive like a 1000 pound gorilla? I doubt so. But isn't some exaggerating good enough to ignore and smile about? After all everyone seems to love a wife joke once in a while.

Century ply came up with this ad campaign to commemorate the and to my surprise I found several people found it funny and not at all offensive and that it crossed a million views on youtube!

Though few of the reviews online talk about the durability, strength and finesse, the most it makes is focusing on the anger. I think it is fair enough to suggest that the ad made me remember the brand and hence won its share of my mindspace.

Ok here are the takeaways from this TVC:

1. You can be funny without hurting
2. Reality(or the lack of it) is accepted
3. Sometimes a twist is not needed
4. Subtle mentioning of the brand is good
5. Wife is not a gorilla! You are, if you forget your anniversary :)

Good job Century ply.

Rating: 2/5

Don’t Just Collect Data; Create Value

Ron's article on Service  Metrics. Read on...

The purpose of this building block is to drive new actions that create and deliver greater service value. This purpose is perfectly aligned with our definition of service as taking action to create value for someone else.

Your actions can generate positive results in many different areas: performance, profitability, market share, reputation, customer loyalty, employee engagement, and more. Understanding the data can help you track progress, identify trends, and provide a baseline for future improvement. The right measures will also help you catch problems early and avoid pitfalls before they happen.

Service Measures and Metrics are most effective when they help you prioritize what’s most important. What new commitments should you make? What new actions should you take? What can you do next, or do right now, to increase satisfaction, secure future business, or generate greater loyalty for your organization? If your current measures and methods of reporting do not achieve these goals, then it is time to review and revise.

Don’t let your Service Measures and Metrics become disconnected from the practical levers of power. Collecting data and crunching numbers can easily become a separate function or a department, fueled by the urge to gather even more data and encouraged by the suppliers of surveys, facilitators of focus groups, and purveyors of mystery shopping. I am not against any of these practices; they all have their time, place, and function—so long as they lead you to new action.
Make sure the people on your team know what you are measuring and why. Be sure they understand which numbers you are tracking, and which needle you want them to move every day.

Don't ask me what you know already

Often I have been asked by people the same things. Again and again. Usually this is when you are in the nick of closing something. I try and control my agitated mind which is perplexed as I would have shared the same data, excel file or numbers time and again. Can you send me again is the next question! I am short of an expression here. Why would I send you the same thing again? I would share it hadn't I given you that last week/month and sometimes in the last hour.

What is my takeaway from this? Well, here it goes...

Either you are too dull or slow or lazy to keep asking for the same thing again and again or you are too smart and keep asking things to show that because you didn't have that and didn't have this you are allowed to delay the delivery.

I have on solution for this. Create or move on.