I haven't travelled outside India, or even to a lot of places outside Mumbai. So I can't really give a perspective on this opinion. But being within a small place in this big world, I have come to realise that the human race has got a lot of things it doesn't really deserve.
One of them is the mobile phone.
Imagine this. You are going in a local train trying to reach your office on time. The train is packed like crazy and the air is hot and humid. You have probably been through two quarrels already from your way to this place in the train. You are trying to relax a bit.
And then rings loudly the phone of the person standing next to you. He answers it and then for some reason, starts talking as if he is living in the distant past when trunk calls were hard to hear. A minute into the talk, everyone in the coach knows what the conversation is about.
Now imagine this happening almost every alternate day in your real life.
Life does not stop there. If you are thinking it is only the people travelling in local trains who do this, galat jawaab! These incidents happen at all levels across social gatherings, be it office meetings, or people sitting on the dias, or people in the cinema hall. And I am sure I am not the minority when it comes to being on the receiving side of such incidences. Mobiles have become one of the biggest sources of rude behaviour in public.
Some time back, Hutch had started an ad campaign on mobile manners.
My opinion - PLEASE RESTART!!! We desparately need some teaching!!!
Aug 27, 2006
Jun 2, 2006
Competence vs. Change
Recently read an article by Seth Godin in Fast Company.
Here, he says "In the face of change, the competent are helpless."
To say that I was confused would be an understatement. Wasn't winning and being the market leader all about building competence? Wasn't core competency the most important edge a company could have?
On the face of it, it starts making sense after pondering for a while. Competence after all is a person's ability to be quite good at doing a particular job. And since he is good at doing it in its current form, he is resistant to any change with it.
This 'sense' is shortlived, though. Because the understanding of the word 'competence' is incomplete. Looks like even Mr. Godin got it wrong.
Competence, as defined by Wikipedia here, means it is about skills and abilities and knowledges. In other words, competence is not knowing just one successful formula and applying it everywhere. It is actually about knowing a full range of formulae and also knowing which one to apply in what situation.
Given that, a competent person might embrace change, not resist it, because he is constantly looking at better ways to do it.
In that sense, change = better competence!!!
Here, he says "In the face of change, the competent are helpless."
To say that I was confused would be an understatement. Wasn't winning and being the market leader all about building competence? Wasn't core competency the most important edge a company could have?
On the face of it, it starts making sense after pondering for a while. Competence after all is a person's ability to be quite good at doing a particular job. And since he is good at doing it in its current form, he is resistant to any change with it.
This 'sense' is shortlived, though. Because the understanding of the word 'competence' is incomplete. Looks like even Mr. Godin got it wrong.
Competence, as defined by Wikipedia here, means it is about skills and abilities and knowledges. In other words, competence is not knowing just one successful formula and applying it everywhere. It is actually about knowing a full range of formulae and also knowing which one to apply in what situation.
Given that, a competent person might embrace change, not resist it, because he is constantly looking at better ways to do it.
In that sense, change = better competence!!!
May 28, 2006
Swimming Pool vs. Well
I was watching a 'satsang' on TV today, that made me think about this.
The person gave this beautiful example about swimming pools and wells to substantiate his points. While the original point is ignoreable, this analogy isn't. He explained that with a swimming pool, we need to put in the water, whereas in case of a well, all we have to do is remove the dirt, and the gravel in there. Ground water automatically finds its way into that well.
What got me thinking about this was that this is the case with life.
Come to think of it, we expect the world to be treating us as a swimming pool, giving us what we want. Shouldn't we be more like a well, finding our own sources of what we need (ok ok... also of what we 'want')?
Of course, it's tough. Because we would have to start with doing the dirty job of cleaning up. But I guess it's worth it!!!
The person gave this beautiful example about swimming pools and wells to substantiate his points. While the original point is ignoreable, this analogy isn't. He explained that with a swimming pool, we need to put in the water, whereas in case of a well, all we have to do is remove the dirt, and the gravel in there. Ground water automatically finds its way into that well.
What got me thinking about this was that this is the case with life.
Come to think of it, we expect the world to be treating us as a swimming pool, giving us what we want. Shouldn't we be more like a well, finding our own sources of what we need (ok ok... also of what we 'want')?
Of course, it's tough. Because we would have to start with doing the dirty job of cleaning up. But I guess it's worth it!!!
May 6, 2006
What is Management?
No, I do not want to talk about the definition of management here.
What I want to talk about is the art of people management. Not an original idea though, but I have been lucky enough to experience this early in my career and realise its importance.
Read umpteen books on management and each of them would give a different funda on the topic. Each would look at one aspect of the whole practice and try to philosophise on it.
The practice, no doubt, is an art. But I have realised that most of people management does not involve getting things done. It involves removing obstacles in the path of things being done.
Let's look at it in more detail.
I am a strong believer in Theory Y, which says that given an opportunity people want to work, and that they get personal satisfaction in accomplishing the tasks given to them.
Given this, it is natural that left to themselves, things will get done. What, then, is the role of a manager? His / her role is to make sure that the doer faces as less problems as possible, while carrying out the task assigned to him. Because a self-motivated employee would go to his senior only when he is unable to do the task himself. He is not looking at avoiding the work. He is looking at finishing it in the best possible manner.
In such a case, all a manager needs to do is to help the employee solve the problem, and then, get himself off the scene. Once the problem is solved, the manager is no longer required, and his presence may possibly even lead to inefficient working of the employee.
So that's management as I see it - remove obstacles from your employees' ways, not get yourself in their way ahead.
What I want to talk about is the art of people management. Not an original idea though, but I have been lucky enough to experience this early in my career and realise its importance.
Read umpteen books on management and each of them would give a different funda on the topic. Each would look at one aspect of the whole practice and try to philosophise on it.
The practice, no doubt, is an art. But I have realised that most of people management does not involve getting things done. It involves removing obstacles in the path of things being done.
Let's look at it in more detail.
I am a strong believer in Theory Y, which says that given an opportunity people want to work, and that they get personal satisfaction in accomplishing the tasks given to them.
Given this, it is natural that left to themselves, things will get done. What, then, is the role of a manager? His / her role is to make sure that the doer faces as less problems as possible, while carrying out the task assigned to him. Because a self-motivated employee would go to his senior only when he is unable to do the task himself. He is not looking at avoiding the work. He is looking at finishing it in the best possible manner.
In such a case, all a manager needs to do is to help the employee solve the problem, and then, get himself off the scene. Once the problem is solved, the manager is no longer required, and his presence may possibly even lead to inefficient working of the employee.
So that's management as I see it - remove obstacles from your employees' ways, not get yourself in their way ahead.
Apr 12, 2006
What is God?
A couple of days back, I read an article saying that 90% of people believe that their prayers come true.
This made me wonder a lot of things... why do people believe in God? What makes them think that something like God exists? That made me think about myself. Do I believe in God? If no, why do I say, "I hope something would happen or not happen." More importantly, what is God?
Most of the things that happen happen "because" of something else. There is a big cause and effect cycle that goes on... day in and day out. The cause could be either somebody's action (including mine) or something we call forces of nature.
If we believe in the first part, we have to accept that we are responsible for whatever happens to us, if not individually, then collectively. If we belive in the second part, and look at forces of nature, they are nothing but results of different probabilities. We all know the concepts of gravity, heat, pressure and the like. They all follows rules, and probabilities.
Since these probabilities are something that cannot be predicted, we can call them God, but then, the generally accepted concept of God means that he can do anything, not necessarily between 0 and 1. It can't be God.
What does this all lead to? It leads us to two things:
1) We are all subject to the rules of probability. Things that happen to us, could have happened to others. It is just a matter of 'chance' that they happened to us. We are not the start of all and end of all things.
2) We are in control of most of the things. To what extent is this control, I don't know. But yes, what we do matters more than what we pray for.
So, probability is God. But as the rule of probability goes, everything would be 50:50 in the long run.
In the end, as Neo puts it - "The problem is choice".
What choice did you make today?
This made me wonder a lot of things... why do people believe in God? What makes them think that something like God exists? That made me think about myself. Do I believe in God? If no, why do I say, "I hope something would happen or not happen." More importantly, what is God?
Most of the things that happen happen "because" of something else. There is a big cause and effect cycle that goes on... day in and day out. The cause could be either somebody's action (including mine) or something we call forces of nature.
If we believe in the first part, we have to accept that we are responsible for whatever happens to us, if not individually, then collectively. If we belive in the second part, and look at forces of nature, they are nothing but results of different probabilities. We all know the concepts of gravity, heat, pressure and the like. They all follows rules, and probabilities.
Since these probabilities are something that cannot be predicted, we can call them God, but then, the generally accepted concept of God means that he can do anything, not necessarily between 0 and 1. It can't be God.
What does this all lead to? It leads us to two things:
1) We are all subject to the rules of probability. Things that happen to us, could have happened to others. It is just a matter of 'chance' that they happened to us. We are not the start of all and end of all things.
2) We are in control of most of the things. To what extent is this control, I don't know. But yes, what we do matters more than what we pray for.
So, probability is God. But as the rule of probability goes, everything would be 50:50 in the long run.
In the end, as Neo puts it - "The problem is choice".
What choice did you make today?
Mar 18, 2006
Moral Polices Everywhere!!!
Here it goes again. One more extra-ordinary ad and people just don't get it.
They have simply lost it, over the SBI 'Bholu' ad. The intellectuals, who just watch TV and want to comment on everything they see, have not liked the ad because it showcases poor people and their lives.
I don't understand why these people do such things. For every 'Chandni Bar' and 'Chameli', these same guys would appreciate the effort and give awards to the makers. But when it comes to advertising, the makers would become insensitive a*sholes, who want to commercialise the lifestyle of poor people.
How can the intelligent people be so dumb?
Why can't they understand concepts like breaking the clutter, like having 'what if' situations in ads to get your message across. Do they not understand even something as simple as target audience???
A great personality also puts his own version of the ad. I would love to ask him - Sir, with all due respect, would you have even noticed an ad like what you have 'created'?
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT!!!
The moral of the story: Leave the ad-making job to the creative guys. It is not everybody's cup of tea.
They have simply lost it, over the SBI 'Bholu' ad. The intellectuals, who just watch TV and want to comment on everything they see, have not liked the ad because it showcases poor people and their lives.
I don't understand why these people do such things. For every 'Chandni Bar' and 'Chameli', these same guys would appreciate the effort and give awards to the makers. But when it comes to advertising, the makers would become insensitive a*sholes, who want to commercialise the lifestyle of poor people.
How can the intelligent people be so dumb?
Why can't they understand concepts like breaking the clutter, like having 'what if' situations in ads to get your message across. Do they not understand even something as simple as target audience???
A great personality also puts his own version of the ad. I would love to ask him - Sir, with all due respect, would you have even noticed an ad like what you have 'created'?
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT!!!
The moral of the story: Leave the ad-making job to the creative guys. It is not everybody's cup of tea.
Mar 17, 2006
God is laughing
It is said, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.
I guess that's what I keep doing again and again.
This is probably the zillionth time I did it.
The moment I feel the urge to do something, I find my platter empty. Not half-filled, not part-filled, empty!!!
So what do I do? I subscribe to newsletters, I start new things. And the next morning, I find my platter over-loaded.
So now, I am a blogger, quizzer, freelancer, researcher and if whatever I have already planned starts happenning, I would also be a lecturer, writer and professional quizmaster.
This is plain crazy. How can I do justice to everything? Why did I start all of this?
And why, just why, can't I make God appreciate my plans for once?
I guess that's what I keep doing again and again.
This is probably the zillionth time I did it.
The moment I feel the urge to do something, I find my platter empty. Not half-filled, not part-filled, empty!!!
So what do I do? I subscribe to newsletters, I start new things. And the next morning, I find my platter over-loaded.
So now, I am a blogger, quizzer, freelancer, researcher and if whatever I have already planned starts happenning, I would also be a lecturer, writer and professional quizmaster.
This is plain crazy. How can I do justice to everything? Why did I start all of this?
And why, just why, can't I make God appreciate my plans for once?
Mar 11, 2006
Who am I?
So I am at it again.
The always-confused, always-thinking / imagining / fantasizing me is back on this blog.
Given my poor decision-making skills, I guess this was bound to happen. What started out as a personal blog, became an advertising blog, and then everything got shifted to a new blog. So this blog got empty and I am filling it with crap.
Every time I convince myself that I am extra-ordinary, a stand-apart-from-other-mortals type, I see myself myself thrown back into the real world. And here, I am a nobody. A usual person, who is as confused about life, as afraid of the future, as ambitious, as lazy, as everything... as any other person in this world.
No, I think I am wrong again. I am not normal... I am more of everything compared to the average man... more cofused, more afraid, more ambitious, more lazy, more everything. Yes! Now I know why I am extraordinary... well probably.
Anyway, I don't think anybody would care. Most of them wouldn't, as long as I 'behave' like a normal person in front of others.
Quote for this post: Steve Jobs of Apple Computers says - Sometime, somewhere down the line the dots will all join together and form something.
Somebody help! I don't have a pencil!
The always-confused, always-thinking / imagining / fantasizing me is back on this blog.
Given my poor decision-making skills, I guess this was bound to happen. What started out as a personal blog, became an advertising blog, and then everything got shifted to a new blog. So this blog got empty and I am filling it with crap.
Every time I convince myself that I am extra-ordinary, a stand-apart-from-other-mortals type, I see myself myself thrown back into the real world. And here, I am a nobody. A usual person, who is as confused about life, as afraid of the future, as ambitious, as lazy, as everything... as any other person in this world.
No, I think I am wrong again. I am not normal... I am more of everything compared to the average man... more cofused, more afraid, more ambitious, more lazy, more everything. Yes! Now I know why I am extraordinary... well probably.
Anyway, I don't think anybody would care. Most of them wouldn't, as long as I 'behave' like a normal person in front of others.
Quote for this post: Steve Jobs of Apple Computers says - Sometime, somewhere down the line the dots will all join together and form something.
Somebody help! I don't have a pencil!
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