Bill Gates

Passion, commitment and sheer will power is what you need to realise your dream. Bill has done all that and more.

Tribute to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (1914 - 2008)

Very few have been hailed as the sons of the soil. It has been a life worth living.

Drive Safe

Pics: Blue Earth

Repetition is Boring

Any communication moves from interesting to boring based on the number of times it is repeated without any change. The possibility of it being ignored and even resented is high as this number increases.

The sound of a cuckoo is pleasant to the ears. But if this becomes a repetition it would be irritating. One such bird starts singing at 3 AM at the top of its voice. Sarah also has one near her house and thinks it is irritating. The song of this bird is good for sure. But the timing and the frequency spoils it.

You need to know when to, how to communicate and maintain a balance so that it does not start irritating. Advertisers have to keep this in mind. You play an ad too less: people may not even notice it. You play it too many: people will skip it and all your money goes down the drain. So the threshold should be calculated and used diligently.

The best plan is to bring innovation and change into the communication so that the viewer stays interested in it. The graph shows where you need to stop and initiate change. You can also link the Diminishing Marginal Utility Theory to this.

Nano? Na na!

I wouldn’t wait for Nano till 2011 if I wanted a cheaper car. Is the worth the wait? I don’t think so. It cant be used on the highway as it wont go fast. It looks cheap. I would be having ‘CHEAP’ or ‘POOR’ message right across my chest. It runs on petrol! Unless they come up with a dual version. I would prefer to go to Rewa, the magic car, as many are discovering. Its beats many cars on many counts: cost, space, ease and style. Would you like to go for something that is not tried and looks poor or would you like to go with something that assures satisfaction. Another contender is the Maruti DUO.

Pics: images.paultan.org

Taste vs Health

An old qualm is that the snacks are not healthy and home-made food is the best. Parents, elders at home used to start grumbling when you order a pizza, burger or have ice cream or chips. But this is not the case now. Health consciousness has improved among the youngsters and the parents. Takers for healthy snacks are on the rise. Manufacturers are concentrating on how to bring taste and health together. It was thought to be impossible but not any more. Though the young watch fast and furious and non-stop jabbering they are opting for healthier snacks with less calories and more of taste. This trend is set to rise.

Image Sells

Image does play an important role in getting the candidacy, be it in politics or in sports or in office.

A student with good grades stands a better chance over others. A batsman gets iconic status and more pay package as it happened in the IPL. An established actor a better role (Aamir Khan once mentioned he could pick and choose the roles only after 10 years into his career), a well dressed person better seat in a restaurant, respect and so on. So image is important to get through the initial hurdle. The package helps sell the product, the presentation and decoration the dish, the ice the cake and so on. It applies to everything you see in daily life, both products and services. Even if the actual product is good it may not sell if the package sucks. The first look, feel, sound, touch i.e. the first impression or interaction should be something that would be remembered. It should have an impact, a strong one so that it generates the momentum to push the deal.

But only time will tell if the effort was worth it and the choice was correct. When selecting one needs to look beyond the visible and then take the decision.

Food On The Move: Japanese Style

Source: FFO

Fuel Price - OPEC

News has just come in that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has said that the largest oil producing country of the world Saudi Arabia will up its oil output to 9.7 million barrels per day. He hinted that this number may also go up to 12.5 million barrels in the future.

In his statement, he also said that OPEC have never tried to shoot the oil prices towards north - he lays the blame of the present oil crisis on speculators. He also said that countries levy huge oil taxes and then sell to their citizens thus pushing up oil prices. In India, government adds atleast Rs. 10 towards the price of petrol and then gives a lot of subsidies in this regard (due to the sudden rise nowadays)! All his arguments may tempt people to think that oil prices will go down………Due to increased supply by Saudi Arabia and subsequent cooling off. But some oil analysts and economists beg to differ.

Not only is crude oil technically very strong but it might just go all the way to $145 - $148 if a short selling comes in oil in the next few days. Short selling essentially means- when people take a bet that oil prices will fall. When their bet is successful, they speculate even more. Finally at unresistable rates all their bets reverse due to market forces which compel the oil prices to rise one-way. Therefore, it is expected that perhaps, oil prices may rally to $148 a barrel in the near future.

In this time of uncertainty, it would not be wise to call the shots so early. Rest all depends on the forthcoming meeting between OPEC and Federal Reserve (of US) later this month.

Source: Yahoo Groups

Delloitte's Impact Day

Employees of Delloitte Hyderabad spent the last Saturday with school children in different parts of the city for a change from their office, computers, targets and work pressure. They sang songs, danced, enacted skits, told stories, distributed books, chocolates, sketch pens, and what not. Their visit is a part of the CSR activities and has been acclaimed for its integrity and passion with which Delloitte carries it out. Not long ago they were cleaning roads and helping traffic policemen.

When people in responsible positions make it a point to go out and bring a change in the lives of others it is a welcome measure. Many cities in India have multi-storeyed buildings and people working in air-conditioned offices who act oblivious to the slums and suffering of the people around them. Instead of turning a blind eye they could step out and help them. With great relationships you get something more.

Delloitte’s day out was optly called Impact Day. Now the point is who had the impact: the children or Delloitte! Good work Delloitte.

Too Much Pressure

An explorer, a white man, anxious to reach his destination in the heart of Africa , promised an extra payment to his bearers if they would make greater speed. For several days, the bearers moved along at a faster pace. One afternoon, though, they all suddenly put down their burden and sat on the ground. No matter how much money they were offered, they refused to move on. When the explorer finally asked why they were behaving as they were, he was given the following answer: “We have been moving along at such a fast pace that we no longer know what we are doing. Now we have to wait until our soul catches up with us.”

--- Paulo Coelho in Maktub

Half-Right

Half-Right is when you

• Don’t try to help
• Give up
• Hate work
• Ignore
• Are satisfied when you know you can improve
• Follow the process for the heck of it

Quote

‘What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; what I do, I understand’

--- Einstein

The Bank Account of Life

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with Rs 86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day.
Every “evening” deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do?
Draw out every cent, of course!
Each of us has such a “bank”. Its name is TIME
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose
It carries over no balance
It allows no overdraft
Each day it opens a new account for you
Each night it burns the remains of the day
If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours

Source: FFO

Hike In Air Fares Announced

Confronted with spiralling aviation turbine fuel prices airlines which include both low cost carriers and full service carriers are slated to increase their fares by 5 % to 10% per cent across all sectors, from tomorrow.

Read more.

Meet Pragjyoti Samal

Pragjyoti Samal, a 24-year-old computer engineer from Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, is the first person to win Rs one crore on Star Plus' Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain.

Answering to the question: Do you think your lifestyle will change now?

She said, " I don't think so. I am a simple person. When we used to hangout with friends, we would think twice before going to Cafe Coffee Day. Now, that will not be the case.

When I returned to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata, my train got cancelled due to heavy rains. I spent the whole night on the platform. The next day, it was cancelled again but I waited for the train. If it is urgent, I travel by flight but if I have the time, I will not spend money unnecessarily."

Read full story.

The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The 2nd 'M' is turned to get 3.

Read the plot.

Pic: Google Images

Waiting for Rahul

When Mahatma Gandhi came to India to participate in Indian Freedom Struggle he was sent on a 'Bharat Dharshan' tour by Gokhale. Gandhi later described that this was the best advise he got. To SEE and LEARN for himself the people he is going to work for. The young Gandhi is following the same path. If his entry into strong political Dias is delayed he may be a wasted wonder.

Brands have to fulfill and meet the expectations of the people. You release it too early or too late you may loose the charm. How you decide the time will depend on how good your research department is and the accuracy with which you can judge the pulse of the public. Everything lies in the timing, like comedy.

Pic: Den

Hollywood: Bollywod Touch

The legendary Hollywood director Steven Spielberg is edging closer to ending his fractious two-year relationship with Paramount Pictures – and is readying an alternative alliance with one of India's richest men.

Anil Ambani's Mumbai-based conglomerate, Reliance ADA – one of the biggest producers of Bollywood films – is planning to invest more than $500m (£255m) in Spielberg's production house DreamWorks SKG, which the Schindler's List director runs jointly with David Geffen. A cash infusion of $500-$600m from Reliance ADA, with debt financing of a further $500m, would allow an independent DreamWorks to produce half a dozen movies a year.

A Reliance subsidiary said it had signed agreements with several major Hollywood stars, including Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt, to help fund movies through their independent production companies.

Read the full story here.

Pic: Den

Handling Pressure

'The Week' reports that the number of killings and suicides is increasing in India. Almost 75% of these are done by people who know each other or worse 25% cases are by relatives.

When pressure, hatred and doubt builds up in a person it leads to harmful and explosive behavior. Hectic schedules, lack of free time, personal and social life, increasing prices, disproportionate desires to income, work-life pressures, unfulfilled dreams and fantasies act as fuel to crime. This can be avoided if the family, friends observe such violent behavior and pressure building up and try to diffuse it. As the AIRTEL ad says ‘Barriers break when people talk’. If discovered early, the crimes can be avoided. We need more counselors and de-stressing material in our education, society and life.

'Breaking' News

Journalism has reached a point where crime and violence as projected as ‘breaking news’. Journalists spend hours waiting to get the juiciest version so that their channel gets the maximum viewership and TRP ratings. This is a sorry situation. There should be restraint and caution before defaming any particular person and character. Moral values are at stake and press appears in no time if there is crime or something that would feed to the curiosity of sex-blinded audience. But they show a different treatment if the news is about a social cause or a good deed. Advancement of technology has only added to the situation. There should be a panel set and strict rules should be formulated to check as to what should be mentioned, reported, when it should be reported and so on. Only the official statement after proper investigation should be released from responsible people. Press should not be allowed to speak to every Tom Dick and Harry for opinion and broadcast it. This only will add to the confusion and opinion forming.


Media should not be allowed to SHOW how the crime was committed in the form of a documentary as if it was the Dandi march of the Mahatma. Many channels broadcast these sleazy, extremely detailed versions and enact the crime on the screen. Doing this is no different from selling porn.

Dare Devils in Real Life

There are many other unsung heroes who deserve a place in the list of Dare Devils. The mother who toils 10 hours doing manual labor apart from household work, raising her children, tolerating her drunkard husband is a daredevil. The love of a mother who acts as a shield to save her baby from the falling ceiling in an earthquake is a dare devil. Any women who braves the traffic and works in offices full of politics, harassment, pressure and still manages to run a house hold is a dare devil.

Sarah's house maid earns Rs. 3000/- working in 5 different houses for hours. Yet when she found a new born child in a dustbin she brought the kid home. There were several onlookers people who were jogging, rich people, poor people all standing there but no one picked up. She did. She has been raising him as her second son and very few know that he was found in a bin and not her child. She is not Anjelina Jolie or Madonna. I would call her a daredevil.

There are several people whose acts of kindness at times when they are least expected. They are the real daredevils.

Adidas + Sania

German sports goods major, Adidas has 30% share in India. Ts all set to release a new collection named after tennis player Sania Mirza. This would be targeting people of 15 – 27 years and include bags, headgear and accessories. The only other star to have a line named after him from Adidas is David Beckham. Sania has come a long way.

Pic: FFO

What Change can do without

Change does not need:

• Head strong people
• Initial success
• Large team
• Extra work
• Advise
• Laziness
• Meetings
• Agenda
• Long lectures
• Huge strides
• Quick results
• Applause
• Drastic
• Public support
• Naysayers
• Huge capital

If you don’t change, you will be changed

Top – Shelf vs Top – Class

Top-shelf means that the stuff is just above others while top-class means it is ahead of others. Now what do above and ahead mean? The heat is above 100 F while Sachin is world’s leading batsman. Both mean that the subject is performing better than others. But when you use them and how you use changes the meaning.

Negative Feedback

Sometimes you are subjected to strong negative feedback. Don’t feel bad about it. You may find these pointers useful in handling it.

• Listen patiently as to what the person has to say
• Find out what are the mistakes
• How could, should this be done
• What could have been avoided
• What are the pain areas
• What are the OK areas
• Background of the person giving it
• Time, place, situation, audience, purpose of the feedback
• Is it being compared? If yes, what can you learn from it
• Ask what they expect from you
• Be polite, patient
• Make notes

Negative feedback means:

• You have underperformed, people expect more from you
• You could have performed better
• Proper thinking, planning, implementation was not given
• First rate person doing second rate work

Last of all make it a point to improve and check if it pleases them or you can simply forget and move on. These people actually took some time and want you to improve.

People who give negative feedback help you improve.

Painful Customers

Some customers wait for a chance to make a hue and cry. At the drop of a hat they create a nuisance. Some stop at shouting at the executive, some use foul language, some demand for an apology, some write a complaint. All of these people have something in common. They are not happy with the service being provided and want a redressal. Once this is addresses they stop complaining. I am not pointing to the few who keep shouting and want to fire the executive and so on.

To diffuse this situation you need to first apologize. No matter whose mistake it is, apologize. Then listen to them patiently, check what pains them and address it. Be careful about what you speak.

Few observations about the people who crib:

· They are tired, unhappy, childish
· Carry burden, emotions, stress
· Work in the service sector
· Stinking rich & feel they own everything
· Attention seekers
· Egoistic

If you have any suggestions do comment.

Umbrella or Parasol

Umbrella : rain :: Parasol : sun.

Attention to Detail

Raju Srivastav

Fuel Price Rise: The Snowball Effect II

I think people dont wait to charge more. They always look for a chance to charge more. So I think the effect would be much earlier than Diwali season unlike what Economic Times felt.

Todays news confirms the price rise.

Read the full story here.

Needs of Change

Change needs…

• Attention to detail
• Love for work
• Passion
• Motivation
• Observation
• Efficiency
• Energy
• Hard work
• Courage
• Power
• Initiative
• Time
• Effort
• Concentration
• Views
• Team
• Positive frame of mind
• Thought
• Persuasion
• Will to succeed
• Consistency
• Continuity
• Patience
• Determination
• Assertiveness

Change needs YOU!

Military Space Program

In February the United States shot down a satellite that it said posed a threat as it fell to Earth. The actual reason was to test its capability of shooting down satellites which are in orbit. Media would have gone berserk if they guessed it. So this was pictured as a benevolent exercise and the satellite was shot down. Only country to oppose this was China (which did the same thing in January). The other country to have this capability is Russia. Military Space capability in India is still in a nascent stage. But we need not worry. If we can release 10 different satellites as planned we can definitely shoot down satellites.

The point is how successful US was in hyping the danger of this defunct satellite falling down and causing devastation. They kept on showing concern, creating fear so that their testing program goes unhindered. The promotion activity of this fear was successful, well planned and executed.

Half-Right to Full-Right

What are the standards which govern your work, your behavior, your decisions, your choices? Are you satisfied with what is half-right or do you push and try to be full-right? What is the acceptable level of error? How do you decide if something can be passed on? What is the margin of error? How you treat half-right things, products, processes, behavior, attitude matters. Your customers, salesmen, employees rate, treat, respect you based on this.

Though achieving full-right is not always possible it’s the effort that counts. The passion, the will to be full-right should always be there. Quality standards, integrity, commitments, HR policies, Brand & product descriptions should always be nearer to full-right. Remember half-right is NOT acceptable.

CHANGE

Every one who initiate change are frowned at, discouraged as it is not a good idea. But history will tell you that it was these people, the ones who took the first step, are the ones remembered. I'm not hinting that everyone succeds but what if you succeed?

The person who discovered earth is round was scorned at. Everytime you try to change things people dont like it. No one likes to be shifted, moved out of the comfort zone, told to change. You need guts to initiate and do something different. Once you start doing it, you will have followers, people who love you, adore you and respect you. They will follow you.

The quantity of the change, magnitude do not matter. You may change the way you dress, the way you speak, the way you work, the process you are told to follow. As long as it leads to efficiency and positive results you should opt for it.

So what are you going to change today?

Dieting Anyone?

Too many people have asked me to reduce weight, avoid non-veg and so on. But how can I? Just have a look and tell me if you can.




You see I'm trying

Why Buddys Are Important

We went shopping in April to Sapna Book Depot in Jayanagar 4th Block to redeem some coupons we won in our college competetions. We had about Rs. 2500/- to spend on nothing but stationery and books. I had decided not to go to the fiction section this time. One of my friends was at the pen corner in the shop and was asking for different models in a particular price range. This guy was rude, discourteous and behaving as if he was doing it for free. My friend was very courteous and patient. The way he put pens on the table, looked at the person, his body language everything was unacceptable. This was where I had to step in. No one likes to be treated rudely with ill manners. So what if the person buying is different and I am just a buddy?

Most of the times you find that the salesmen end up giving too much importance to the person who has the wallet or dresses well. May be that day all others who accompany the buyer are not digging into their pockets but the attitude decides whether I want to come to your store or not. Yes if treated well I would trace my steps back. If not I would remember that for sure. Many times it happens when you go to the store, restaurants, window-shopping with friends or family or when you are just showing them around. People behave as if they are being charged to smile.

Your attitude matters. It happens in the interviews as well. You need to be courteous and attentive to all the people in the panel and not only with the one in the suit or sitting in the centre. It shows what you are made of.

Why You Can't Trust Surveys?

People exaggerate in surveys and try to put up a face and paint a clean picture. They tell they have good habits, sleep more, have less work pressure, know how to balance life, and so on. They tell you they buy more, eat less, spend more on a particular product, they have a happy life and all that stuff. The reality is much much worse. Why not who wants to tell you that they don’t like your product, that live a miserable life, they hate what they are doing. Here is where anonymous comes in handy.

So next time you are reading a survey and statistics you should read with a hunch. If you are conducting one provide a chance for being real, give anonymous as an option.

Be THE Change

“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.

Bored?

Nice toy. It works on a simple principle: connected via bluetooth , the car moves as you want it to. Keys? Joystick, keypad or volume keys. I’d play all day… come to think of it, i always have been a remote control car maniac now…how cool is that?

Range : up to 10metres

Miscommunication

All it takes is a couple of minutes to check what you have written. You might want to remove, add or edit some of the text you have just sent but regret it. Just take some time and think before hitting 'send' or saying something.

Its not easy to correct something said or written.

Pic: FFO

Father's Day

This Father's Day was no different. As usual I spoke to my Dad. I told him how much I love him and thanked him for being there for me always and how proud I was for being his son. Just like I do everyday for the last so many years. I can see his face glow and his chest swell with pride when I do that.

Here is what you can learn. My Prof Ray taught us this. Say Thank You to people who help you regularly. This includes the waiter in the restaurant, operator in the lift, your driver, your parents, children, spouse and all those small acts of kindness that add up to make your work easier. Doesn't matter if you are paying them for the same. Just acknowledge.

Tell your employees, customers, friends how important they are for you. You will earn love and respect from them. It shows how good mannered you are and shows your character and least of all brightens up their day.

Thought

Indian Cricket Team

There is no doubt that Indian Cricket team looks the best on paper. But when we come to performance on the field we all know what happens. Deccan Charges faced the same problem. Individually the players have lots of records to show but as a team they let down many times. All the qualifications do not matter if the player fails to take the team through. Same applies to management as well. All the experience and the credentials do not come to the rescue if the person fails to deliver: every time. So you need to know that there are a thousand eyes looking at you and be on your toes. The secret is to be ready every time and perform. Consistency and efficiency matter both on the field and off it.

Lil Nag

An empty vegetable basket becomes his Jhula and these two kids enjoy pushing this toddler around till he falls asleep and stops giving you the toothless grin full of mischief. He is 7 months old but never cribs for anything. Blissfully unaware of what is happening around, why rich people are so poor in love, care, compassion and can’t share his happiness, do not smile at him, caress his hair and tell him sweet nothings, he is still happy. He is gives a damn for what others think and keeps looking at them with the same mischief in his eyes.

But one day soon he will understand that all these people look at the brand he wears, perfume he smells and the money in his dad’s pocket before holding. He will realize how crude the world is. How hypocrite people are. How sick this world is. Till then he is happy dozing off in his makeshift Jhula grinning and crying if they stop pulling him around.