Just Balance

Human Migration

2009-10-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

A good statistics on emigration and remittances from 2009 UNDP report

Fall is here

2009-10-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

After weeklong rains, here is a bright and beautiful day. Clear skys, still air, bright sunshine, cool breeze, colorful trees....it was just right to go around on a drive enjoing the fall.

Montoring Logs

2009-10-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

When you are in IT Application Production Support, you end up asking your team to do this frequently after every production releases.

Log monitoring!

What is your native?

2009-10-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Outside the world of computers, 'native' has definitions such as belonging to a particular place by birth, originating in a particular place or in the vicinity etc..etc..What intrigues me is the word 'native' American. And it was the quest for understanding this, that I spent this summer travelling across some of the American native's lands. The idea was planted last spring, when I finished reading the book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Dr.Jared Diamond. I was really interested to know what it was a century ago in the American lands, who were the people and what they did. Or, well, we can simply call it 'native' history!

I looked for the native americans of great plains to fill in my curiosity. These were natives living in the cradle of mighty Mississippi , Missouri and Ohio rivers. And the land to great Sioux tribe, Lakota and Bigfoot. These tribes were buffalo hunters, and inhabited the vast lands of the present day cental and mid-west US.

And so, my journey this summer was all on road through the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming . It was a great road trip, and thanks to my friend who accompanied me. We first headed south to Kentucky en route Indiana.

Where the wild grass grew, there is always evidence of great civilization. Theplains of Indiana and Kentucky provided splendid view of natures' bounties to humans. Beauty and serene, the land throws itself to some of unimaginable colors it can produce.

And then there were ups and down, small valley and hills, till I reached the settlements that is now called land between the lakes. These were lands of bison and deers. And the lands were silenced by the cold and still mist from the lakes and rivers. And I was sure an unwelcome visitor, as these deers' posed to my camera. I wasn't distracted and went on to learn more.

The native americans who once lived here were the Cherokee tribes and this plaque explains why they were defeated by their unwelcome guests. On walking around , I learned that the native americans were gradually pushed off their land they called home for 1000 years. Between 1829 and 1830, it became illegal for some of the first residents to live in their homeland, and thus began their 'trial of tear'.

Heading north across the state of Illinois towards the Iowa and the south of Minnesota, you are welcome with more grass. In Iowa, you still see the expanse of land, stretched as far as your eye can see. While, the present day world is busy consuming, this part of the world is busier and happier producing fodder. The lands of Iowa are criss crossed with roads on which are trucks of all sizes. While, parked on the fields are still larger machies that help the farmers to keep up with the huge appetite of their owners.

Well, in between these mighty machines and humans are not much of wild! But the most common visitors in summer are the locust swarms that ignorantly fly across the fields between the road only to be crushed flat on your car's wind screen. The northen border of Iowa and towards south Minnesota welcomes you with a sea of grass! Today, There are large cattle farms and cheese factories lining your road.

Heading west, the land expands into wilderness and there is a nature crossing by the mighty Mississippi and Missouri rivers and welcoming you to South Dakota, the land of Sioux. These are great places, indescribable and to be witnessed to appreciate its beauty and creation. Travelling all across land of Sioux, and towards blackhills forest you enter the land of Lakota, and their lofty hill. It is a land of legends, much of which is mysterious. It is said that "If a poor man was starving, he was poor in spirit and in body, he went into the black hills. The next spring, he would come out, his life and body would be renewed". This place is now called the 'devils tower'.

Heading further west towards Wyoming, is Black Hills and big horn river canyon. These are the lands of Mustang, and their great riders. And these are lands of bisons. Birds such as bald eagle has its own reverence in this region. The legend of the medicinal wheel, its astronomical significance and other stories still haunt this mysterious landscape.

It is also the land of 'Dinosaur playground'. Scientific evidence indicates that these rocks are records of dramatic climatic changes and of the pre-historic era . It is said 245 million years ago, these areas were covered under ocean and slowly life forms such as amphibians, reptiles, including dinosaurs dominated the land. It is a treasure to the geologist and paleontologist. The color of the land is a mix of red, blueish grey and yellow, signifying presence of sulphur, gypsum and red rocks.

Amazed by the bounties of the land and its manifestation, I cannot stop imagining how blessed the natives were, and in turn how much they dignified their land and made it part of their life. The harmony established between man and nature for their co-existence was quite beyond my imagination. All this because, they believed they were natives to the land and that it is where they belonged to.

In this era of globalization, it looks the respect to land and its bouties has been lost. There aren't any 'natives' no more, and there are only settlers or global citizens. The road ahead for these corporate travellers and global citizens are much more complex with never before issues such as environmental sustainability(global climate changes), energy and economic stablility. And on my way back, I kept thinking that there definetly is a lot left for the next generation to inherit!!!

Whose problem is it anyway????

2009-08-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here is an article from one of India's leading news channel.
Its heading 'Schoolgirl paraded naked for not paying fee'.

Below is the escalation channel for this 'shame' , and wonder whose problem is it anyway!?

Police (Law enforcement)
^
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (aka social organization)
^
Principal
^
Teacher
^
Parents
^
School girl

Well..well.. any guess is a good guess....and that is not the point here.

It’s pathetic and appalling that such a socio-economic discrimination is prevalent in India. All that is for sure is that laws exist in very dignified form in India, and on the streets these laws are least respected and very least protected.

What else to say, other than condemn it as shameful and distasteful. And try forgetting it temporarily thinking whose problem is it anyway!

9.58 Sec

2009-08-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Usain Bolt's 100M dash yesterday at Berlin 2009 seting a new World Record.

Video: Usain Bolt 100m World Record Benzer: usain, bolt, 100m, spor

Solitary Reaper

2009-08-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

In a mood to read 'The Solitary Reaper' by Sir William Wordsworth.....

BEHOLD her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?—
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;—
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

New ideas for an economic 'super' horse

2009-08-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderfully thought, well structured ideas from Mr. Nandan Nilekani, visionary co-founder of Infosys, earlier this year for charging a new economic 'super' horse- India!

No, I cannot delete History

2009-08-01T10:14:00.001-07:00

Where can you hear this "No, I cannot delete History".

a) In your office

b) By politician

c) By publisher

d) By God

Well...I heard this at office. A coworker was shouting out...'No, I cannot delete History'...I walked by with my cup of coffee, only to see that the coworker was shouting over the phone to a IT Support person on the other end. It was that she was not able to delete the history in IE web browser.

Whew!

What a generation we are living in. History can be erased!!!

Will You Still Love Me

2009-07-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Some events that shook me this week. Events of my lifetime...and I go back in time to remember my onetime favourite, and I am hearing it again.

Dawin's Nightmare

2009-07-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

It all started when I bought a pack of Victoria Niles Perch for my weekend lunch. I was fascinated to pick this in a US supermarket, and was thrilled to find an African fish after a long time. As you know many of the frozen sea food in US supermarket are from South East Asia and China. As a connoisseur of fish and seafood, I was ever enthusiastic for the rich taste I was told this fish had. Well,truly it was delicious, and I had a wholesome weekend meal

Now, that was not what I wanted to say here. As a consumer in global economy, and as a believer in globalization, it was shocking to discover the hidden side of this globalization. After the meal, I watched DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE by Hubert Sauper . It was very disheartening to see the over exploitation of natural resources and what a combination of greed, opportunism and poor regulation can lead to. There is blame every where, and no one to be held responsible.

In the words of Mkono, the leader of the fishing camp and a character in the documentary " God unfortunately created the world and he invested some limited natural resources. Therefore, people tend to scramble for this natural resource and that what is happening today..formerly there was a scramble for Africa..a scramble for land..but now...there is a scramble for natural resource....who is to get..and who is to miss...and that is the law of the jungle...those that are strong and tough has the chance of surviving..more than the weak one..when we say the stronger..may be we start viewing the Europeans..because they are the people who own the IMF, World Bank, the people who own the world trade.."

The words of Mkono is indeed some food for thought.

fish!

150 years after Madoff....

2009-06-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

The headline read "Madoff sentenced to 150 years". Having lived and worked up all through his profession , this 71 year old Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. The judgement made sure he will be out of prison in a coffin.

So what will happen 150 years from now to this breed of white colored criminals? They aren't deadly as the breed of terrorist we watch daily, but sure they can with greater intensity, ruin your and my life!

These white color criminals are a new breed of 'smart' adventurers emerging in this integrated world economy. These greedy,well connected business men and money makers are found not only in developed capitalist economies, but all through Russia, India and China.

The new economy provides with abundant possibilities of wealth accumulation and is throwing open opportunities never imagined a few decades ago. Risk is rewarded amply, and adventurers life Madoff can go to the extent of risking their life to accumulate wealth in billions of dollars. Compare this to the conquest of America by the greedy Spanish conquistadors. They were greedy and brutal . They conquered new territories risking their life. But if it were not them there was no America!

The white colored criminals like Madoff are no different from those adventurers in late 15th century. In this new world economy, integrated by money and trade, there will be a few caught and sentenced like Madoff, but many more still survive. These sure will go far enough to swindle money and wealth in even bigger proportions. And in the process bring more legislation and regulations in trade and economy. The good part is that there will be legislation to protect the low-risk takers and the bad is that these white colored criminal has just started their conquest of wealth and money laundering.

This is the lesson from Madoff's $65 Billion attempt and failure.

MJ's music

2009-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

The news broke out that Michael Jackson is dead. Like for other, it surely took me to the Internet and other online media to know more...to know more about death; the death of his personality. His creativity had died a more than a decade ago.

Although I was not a fan of MJ, I was immensely an admirer of this genius's creativity that he flawlessly displayed in his music and dance. None can match that music. It was the music for a generation I grew up with.

Below is an excerpts from an article published in CNN- Jackson's comeback: What might have been, that sums his music and his life.

"Jackson's was a life and career of staggering talent and towering weirdness, and perhaps the ultimate cautionary tale of the perils of child stardom. We'll leave most of the saga for others to parse, but marvel instead at how Jackson is now something more: the ultimate story of the Hollywood comeback that was never to be -- at least not the way it was planned.
In business, as in life, Jackson did nothing in small measure. "

His music will live forever, and enthrall the hearts of millions more in generation to come. I just want to share the track that I liked the most.

Barack of Arabia

2009-06-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

West Asia is a region united by faith and religion. While this substance of unity (read faith) is constantly eroding in West Asia, the initiative by the new US president in a way seems a welcome move. However, this move will also be a likely cause of extreme polarization in West Asia of the self proclaimed faithful on one side and proponents of democracy on other side. History has shown this is an explosive combination!
It is for time to tell the turn of events that will follow.....

Below is an excerpt of the article Barack of Arabia from Indian News Paper Livemint.com

"
US President Barack Obama on Thursday sought “a new beginning” for America’s relations with West Asia. He made an earnest attempt to reach out to a region where the US is much reviled. But we wonder if this earnestness will be reciprocated.
In a land that has seen little pluralism or political liberty, that might not be easy. The region’s autocracies and petro-dictatorships have fuelled instability, only furthering prejudice and hatred. As long as that remains, Muslim West Asia’s relation with anyone will be hard to alter.
Like clockwork, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei condemned Obama’s speech, saying that “words, speech and slogan” would not change “the ugly, detested and rough” face of the US. The likes of Osama bin Laden aren’t going to be appeased either.

The World we look at

2009-05-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

We live our life tuned to a TV station. Always wanting see, listen, and live the way we want things around to look at us. If we don't like it, we humans have an uncanny ability and may I say the gift to switch off ourselves or tune to a different wavelength and see what we want. Differently said, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I believe that each flutter of the eye, all we want is to see what we want. Take a minute, sit back and just close your eye and you are perfectly away from all disturbances, and in your own wold. Just a minute, and you are transformed into a different space, a world that you haven't seen for most of your life!

What a wonderful gift that we humans have. Isn't that beautiful?

The great conquest of water

2009-05-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is what I saw, going looking for it. The picture of water, beautiful, pristine and serene. I felt that there was a true mutually harmonious relation that we all learned as a child in our science lessons- 'All living organisms need water' . It was a source that was so unique to planet Earth. It has many sources of life, many mysteries that our scientist are still discovering on the ocean floors.

And as I travelled, I saw water was still very friendly and trusted. I didn't need to go looking for it now, as it was more close to me, at every corner of the town. I still saw humans lent forward honouring it, and drinking it. Is it still safe? will it always be available here? Do I need to lean and bend forward to drink it? Am I like all humans, or am I 'more' equal, needing more protection? As humans, some were not satisfied by this relationship, and likely didn't trust this water as safe, and it wasn't convenient to keep this relationship.

Thus started humans conquest of water. As I travelled further, I learnt we call it different names, Dassani, Aquafina, Evian and many more. It is now colorful and has a size. Well, not to mention is has a Price! Surprised, I found it difficult to believe and accept this humane, trusted relationship has now a price attached. What more, it can be traded!

However, I still trust and will keep my relationship with water, and didn't trade it these....

But this great conquest of water didn't end there. As humans, this conquest leaped ahead to destruction and exploitation. What once happened to our land resources, is now happening to water. Very soon, I suspect we will read there were 5 Oceans in the world! There will be more addersses, and both you and I will own a piece of 'water' like the real estate we own today..

How much do you own?

2009-04-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Answer this quick....How much do you own?

Failed, well..that's good, and its the right answer!

Ownership is momentary, what we own are those cherished memories and unforgettable events. Surely, you must have tried to do math to get the answer ;-)

Somethings in life are so simple, that we can't calculate! Ownership should fall in that basket. And if not yet, put it there to live your life to fullest and appreciate every moment.

I had increased my ownership this week as I had move out of my apartment and put away with of my belongings. Yes, I have increased my ownership of those sweet cherished moments that I spent there with my family...

And a century later

2009-04-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

The wheels that changed one side of the world has now rolled to the other side, indeed a more populated side.

Railroads built America, however it were the cars every one drives that exponential transformed the American life. Henry Ford was credited to making this happen through his model-T launch in Mar 1908 through mass production and marketing to the middle class at US$850. It was conveniently later on termed as a 'trouble' and one of the 50 worst cars of all time

Now, on the other side of the world, in India, there seems to be a revolution brewing. Ratan Tata's Tata Motors has launched its peoples car 'Nano' targeting the middle class and priced at a modest US$2500. This surely isn't plain trouble!!

No wonder, with the population close to 100x times America, the Indian roads are going to be transformed into ant hills with colonies of these Nano'es. This is definitely going to improve the productivity and lifestyle of the Indian middle class.

And it was a century to wait..
With progress fast paced, new technologies such as Aeronautical & Space, Nuclear, Telecommunication and Information technology are now very fast catching up with the west. These are hardly a decade or less behind their counterparts in the West. And indeed Nano is a revolution, and brings automotive technologies of Asian industry to the center stage of the world.

Time will tell how far the cars that built America- Ford, Chrysler and Chevy can go. Will they travel into the 21st century?Will their search for better technology change the transportation industry in the west? Warren Buffet has taken charge, and 21st century American cars may be Made in China.

Mission to moon

2009-04-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

One of the important event in my childhood that shaped my thoughts was launch of India's first satellite launch vehicle(SLV-3) in 1980. This was when I was studying in 6th. It was one of the proud moments, we as a family watched glued to the television. It sparked that scientific temper, and curiosity in astro physics . Yet another event that really made me look deeper into astronomy was the first Indian astronaut Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma's advent into outer space on Soyuz T-11 in 1984. This month marks the silver jubilee of this milestone. I wait for that day to come when my children feel the same scientific enthusiasm for India's launch of its space vehicle and astronauts into space through its indigenous technology. Rather than claim it to be a race to space, it is such events that shape young mind towards science, technology and innovation.

Wealth creators

2009-03-12T11:41:00.001-07:00

$65 billion rolled off the dice, and where did it go. Lost? Not really. It was not dropped into the Atlantic in a big bag. Its some where out there, but changed hands. The talented Mr.Madoff's and the likes are always there in the economy to 'make' money change hands. Madoff proved it. The role of regulation is aptly questionable. Put simply, self regulation is no longer self control mechanism in a free economy.

The Religion called Money

2009-03-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, we might soon have a new religion.

Earlier thought to be a economic tsunami and destructive, it now looks like, as we come out of recession, money will be the unifying force of the future. Those that understand it and practise it will en'rich' their life they live, and others will just follow their 'tribal' practises.

There is no worship here, just simple balances to settle. And your debts can be large, and you may pass it to next generation, like the religion you baptise your young ones with...

You better be in control , and start understanding the rules here . Don't accumulate, just right controls to have your balances positive. There sure will be many followers of this 21st century religion across continents. Hate to say, sad but its turning to be true!

Slumdog’s Victory

2009-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Slumdog Millionaire deserved true commendation for the 8 Oscars it won. It’s a pure cinema at its best! And India celebrates a Hollywood Victory at last in this truly remarkable real life fairy tale!

Jai Ho was a musical delight, but what attracted me is the theme and cinematic adaptation for this move. It is a very lively depiction of a life on hope. Mumbai’s slums are the hard depiction of life that we fail to accept sitting and blogging from our laptops. But there is life..yes..life is those slums.

And true, it is not far from reality of a large percentage of India’s population, young and old, which spend their life in slums because they are ‘destined’! We need to appreciate life’s gifts and move on. Every day is special!!!

Conflicting values and its causes thereof

2009-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

This plaque from the Mississippi river valley says it all. The dichotomy of cherished values is the cause of violence so as it is also the cause of trade and development. This dichotomy continues and will continue on...

It is no evil; it is a human quality to have differential values and hence conflicts. This ain't a problem and there is no solution! The West is west and East is east...

Fruit of development

2009-01-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

Visiting India after a span of 2 long years makes me feel many things hasn't changed. Its country side, cities, life style, awareness, trafic, heat , noise, smell...and many more things all remain the same. But there is a slow wind blowing that is catching my attention.

Be it country side or a city, this is a wind of dust. The 'development' dust is blowing into lungs of this young and growing population.

We need to wait for this fruit to ripe...and this fruit of development is surely tasty, at it might cost more. It surely isn't healthy and sweet as these mangoes

Growth of lies and fall of truth

2009-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

How Satyam( meaning truth) lied....
Here is the last list of lies from Satyam's earstwhile CEO, before its fall

From: Ramalinga_Raju

Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 11:28 PM

To: SatyamAssociates (Global)

Subject: Let us continue our focus on Stakeholder delight

Dear Associates,

I am writing to inform you of what has developed since my note of December 18th and to outline plans to restore our stakeholders’ faith in Satyam.
The events of the past two weeks have raised many questions, but these can be distilled into two basic issues: the viability of our business strategy to diversify; and the effectiveness of our corporate governance.

Re: business strategy, you should understand that Satyam is completely committed to the IT services and BPO business, as we have been since our inception. While the idea that we could diversify into an unrelated business was rejected by our investors, it was formed with the belief that doing so would not imperil our leadership in our core business or lessen our commitment to it, and that all stakeholders would benefit. Satyam did not – and does not now – intend to retreat from IT and BPO services in any way, and going forward, Satyam will focus exclusively on these markets.

Re: corporate governance, the board arrived at its decision to bid for Maytas by following all required processes and procedures, and while there was a spirited discussion among members, their vote to approve the motion was unanimous. Further, Satyam has won numerous awards for excellence in corporate governance, including the Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance on two separate occasions, most recently in 2008.
Over the past two weeks, we have been communicating these facts to our customers, and I’m very pleased to report that customers continue to show a high level of trust in Satyam.

We have also been in contact with many of our investors, and we have taken key steps to regain their confidence. These include strengthening the board by changing its size and composition, and engaging DSP Merrill Lynch to provide strategic advice and options. The board will meet on January 10, 2009 to consider these options and to chart a course of action that would boost stakeholders’ confidence further.

Please be assured that the board and the leadership team are doing everything possible to get Satyam back on track. We cannot do this without your help, however. I ask for your continued faith in Satyam and for your steadfast focus on your customers, especially in the face of wild speculation and unchecked rumor. There is simply no more effective way to strengthen the company and to secure its future – and yours – than by delighting your customers.

Thank you very much for your commitment and support. Once again, I wish you the very best for 2009.

With warm regards,
Raju

The Diaper Change

2008-10-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Baby Bush needs a diaper change. This week US goes to vote its new president. Baby Bush has drunk much oil, and with belly on fire went out to war with all his enemies. He has made such a mess that indeed its time for a diaper change.

Obama agrees on changing the diaper "It's about time..It's about change". And McCain claims the diaper can handle more oily mess .... "Drill baby Drill".

I fail to understand will there be a time when our 'baby' politicians stop feeding on oil ?

What the world now needs is sustainable economic development that is based on renewable sources of energy. And that is the change we need from front, from its politicians , from the most developed of the nations, and that is exactly what Friedman argues in his article Making America Stupid.

Ah! Some hope finally

2008-10-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

And finally there is some light seen at the end of the tunnel. The US Financial crises isn't over yet. Neither can any academician, policy maker nor business man control the turn of events in next few weeks or perhaps months . However, it is now widely accepted that a long term stagflation is ahead like that happened in Japan during the last decade of 20th century.

The DOW nosedived 21% last week, just after the $700b bill was hurried and approved by the US congress. What does this mean? Are the policy makers not in control of the economy? Most likely so!

I was catching up with a good load of literature on this financial crises . INSEAD Business School's Prof.Ilian Mihov's article "US economy may plunge into depression if banking sector bailout fails", elobortes how policy decisions that are poorly administered can create havoc.

The Brilliant article " How to Fix the U.S. Financial Crisis "in SCIAM, by Prof. Jeffery Sachs was the best I read. He argues that first Fed should prevent any collapse of working capital by making banks supply short-term loans, and also see that bank lending is not squeezed.

He also suggest two additional steps- (a) to ease the repayment terms to existing mortgage owners (b) to get back to fiscal and monitory policy to encourage the spending in Asia, so that the decline in U.S. consumer spending is smoothly offset by a rise in spending in other countries.

This 21st century crises brings out how closely the world economy is integrated, and an 'economic tsunami' hitting US can send its ripples not just to London but across the seas to shores of Bombay too.

Clearly the Policy makers have failed to recognize their failure. And the confidence in markets will not improve until this is acknowledged. More significantly there is something for the man in main street to understand in this 21st Century- only smart ones survives not necessarily the big ones nor the fittest ! And this is the century of 'Survival of the Smartest'

The Essential Galbraith

2008-09-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

The knock-out of Merrill Lynch this week provoked me to pick this book from my collection to surf through Galbraith's writings on the great crash 1929

Interestingly, I stumbled upon his closing remarks of this 1999 lecture in LSE titled 'The Unfinished Business of the Century'. These two captions below are very significant to US and turn of events that will unfold in this century. With US elections around the corner, it needs to be seen how will the new US president overcome these challenges.

" I come to two pieces of the unfinished business of the century and millennium that have high visibility and urgency. The first is the very large number of the very poor even in the richest of countries and notably in the United States...."

"There is one final piece of unfinished business. In the United States we have a rigorous control of action in our foreign policy not by thought but by acceptance of the past. This keeps us from accommodating what we do to the realities of the world scene."

The Great American Demo-Crazy

2008-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Its been craziest election campaign for 2008 US presidential elections. I watched with attention the acceptance speech of Obama and McCain last week.

As the world is divided distinctively on 'haves' and 'have nots'; the great American democracy which was thought to be driven by the proclaimed success of capitalism, is also facing challenges in this global era.

In the beginning decade of 21st century, there is for sure two distinct Americans. And let the majority win!!!

On one side are Americans that believe in reality. They cry - stop the war, economy first, focus on family, teach your children science, live and love life ( not the credit cards!).

Other side are Americans that believe in false pride. They lobby around- America does not loose, all except Americans can go wrong, terrorism is threat to our children and love the country.

While the new generation of 21st Century accept reality, the ones who fought wars..wars..and more wars..can't accept it. The false pride , and huge clout and lobby that was created are very difficult to leave as legacy for the older generation. This generation is now at a point of climax in this great democratic vote in 2008. This event this sure to open a new chapter in the history of world.

The real threats of 21st century- Global climatic changes, energy crises, health care affordability, and large scale migration across borders as a result of Globalization will have to be accepted, and fought with great determination to keep this world a safe place for future generations.

Change! Yes , we can have only if we change our way of thinking and accept the reality.

Profits and wages

2008-09-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up with the fight at Boeing! http://www.boeing.com/2008negotiations/

Its actually between shareholders and employees, notably both are beneficiaries to the profit Boeing makes. And each of them are demanding their rightful share.

Employees spend their lifetime with Boeing that makes profits; while shareholders invest in Boeing to make profits. One is a long term relationship, and the other relatively short. Both, necessarily needs the company to make profit. Both, need the money to support themselves and their family- cover Living costs, plan for Pensions, and health care.

The Company ( represented by Boeing's management), that stands between Employees and Investors is challenged in such a position. Interestingly, it is always easier to deal with employees, as this group is small and easier(?) to handle between these two.

As I stand to watch the events that will unfold in a couple of days from now ( Boeing employees goes today for a crucial negotiation vote today), it will be interesting to apply these learning in one's life.

In this knowledge and information era, with what importance will you devote your time to track your investments and with what to be a proud employee of your company.

The values we cherish

2007-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

I believe as managers we must take responsibility, accountability and headaches that come with the job during a crises. You cannot hold someone in your team accountable if you don't provide enough resources to perform his job. As a practicing manager, I always thought we should provide necessary directions, tools to enable our team perform the job and be productive. And if you need to fire some one from your team, you better make sure that the person is utterly responsible for his wrongdoing.

Then I read this article about the US Vice President handling a shooting incident and how he did a sort of cover up. This gave me a totally different perspective to my earlier thought about responsibility ,accountability, ethics when handling a crises.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/15/cheney/index.html

I should now take to believe that this sort of polity and approach is perfectly accepted and approved in the US. Why I am writing this is because as managers in a culturally complex workplace, we are faced with tough choices about the values we cherish and the organizational values.

The business ethics across borders is very diverse. Within the same organization, the ethical standards in place for one country is not the same as while working for it in the another country.

So when an issue arise or when faced with a crises, we are forced sometime to make value judgment based on "my way or your way".

Is the world Flat?

2007-09-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

I read Thomas Friedman's "world is flat" couple of months back in India while working at Mumbai. And now I finished reading it again in the US.

It will be flat world indeed, And I believe now I am a witness and a subject as well to the human faces in this process of flattening. Faces in India and the US, faces young and old.

I can observe that all faces have taken to this reality. Some are excited, some worried. And some others running around making best out of it. I am of the later. A day is sure to come when full mobility and anytime access will be available to follow us where everywhere we go.

Just wondering how will true family relationships evolve in this changing 'flat' world.

About Baseball and team

2007-08-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

I watched my life’s' first baseball game. I was at the Municipal Stadium to watch the San Jose Giants (http://www.sjgiants.com)/ and the Visalia Oaks (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t516).

Baseball is a more of a culture and lesser a game. It is all about fun, family, food and some good game. Yep, entertainment and fun are what is it all about and what keeps this game alive for generations.

The BBQ chicken was at its best with the corn and beans, I really loved it. The game started when the noon sun was at its peak and with the traditional first pitch. With a small stadium and home crowd along, I really enjoyed every bit of my time. Thanks-a-ton to my team member for her cheerfulness and for arranging this refreshing break from 'boring' work.

I hope to watch more baseball on the field with my kids!

Life’s meaning

2007-07-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

What is life's meaning without the ones that you care for? Can you leave a life without love and care?

Well, I know people who don't have a child or an immediate family to care for. But they have to care for someone, apart from themselves. So, they donate money(that’s what they have accumulated), either to close relative or for some charity that cares for humanity.

Money is another medium to express love and affection, and do not fall in love with it! There are many better medium to express love and affection, and live a meaningful life.

The life we work for

2007-07-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

We all work whole of our life for the excitement our career brings along.

If not for the work we do, we cannot have had a family around us.

The whole life is centered around your work and what excitement it gives you. Kill the excitement @ work place, you are lost in your life.

So don't ever be selfish at work, rather share your ideas and excitement!

The Californian coast

2007-06-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had visited the Pebble Beach off Monetary County on the Californian coast. This is my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

The coast was abundant in natural beauty, and I enjoyed not the beach and waves, but the shy living crustaceans on the sea coast.

There were lots of shells clinched to the sea rocks entangled with long sea weeds and marshy plants. And climbing and walking along was really exciting.

Take care

2007-06-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

A simple concern for your fellow human is what they want in times of need, It doesn’t cost you any, but it needs an open mind to appreciate human feelings.

At work and off work, let me do my part of being a good human. After all we were all created equal!

Fuel for life - Las Vegas

2007-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

There is something for everyone here. This is Las Vegas. You can fly in on a plane, and leave by bus- all in a days work!

I preferred to travel by bus on my entire tour. My itinerary was decided by the city tour guide. The city is filled with shows, and you could see all those hotels raising above one another to invite you.

Although I did not pull the slot machine nor play on the table, I could really see the suspense and excitement in the huge crowds at the hotel. It was a weekend and I could see old faces clinched to their machines all through the night. I was told that the young punters lands here are on weekdays.

The Grand Canyon

2007-05-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

'Look there is the deepest gutter', said my travel guide.

I felt, Everybody is right in this place!

The curiosity of the human mind to discover the unknown is still at work. And so is their imagination. I felt at peace with myself when I appreciated from my heart that this world is indeed a wonderful place.

Generations have lived and left, and the canyon has witnessed it all. Every day the Canyon sees the same sun glaring into his abysses without any boredom and at the same time enthralling all who have visited it.

How many generations had it tricked? Its getting old too, and I felt fortunate to have been at the Grand Canyon.

Adventurers & spirit of life

2007-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

I am standing besides the 'exact' replica of the boat that Capt. & his team rowed all their way on the Colorado river through the canyon. Just a little ago I watched the NGC documentary on the IMAX and I am blown out about the guts and determination of these guys.

Capt. lost his arm, all others died and none found gold! What did they accomplish in their lives? Was life a fantasy for them? Were they forced into this to keep them alive?

No..no.. adventurers don’t think too much and neither do they plan! They live on every day hope and the sheer excitement of living keeps them going.

Californian country side

2007-05-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love staying in the country side where ever I travel. My night yesterday was at Fresno, CA.
Fresno is a small city ( once said to be the capital of ca).Its economy is farm based. Having traveled through the great Californian valley whole of the previous day, I get the whip of fresh morning misty air. It’s a great refresher.

I recollect the memories of my stay at Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire http://www.sowerby-bridge.org.uk/.

Lifestyle changes

2007-04-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

You can't live a simple life here in US, you need to be sophisticated. The manner in which you talk, your pastimes, cars you drive ,food you eat, toiletries you use, dresses you wear, gadgets you have, the locality you stay - all -in- all you are a sophisticated human here. You need to be one ( or act one!) to live here, else you are driven to extinction.

It’s not the passion for living , but the necessity for increases in sophistication that is very evident in people around me.

My first impression

2007-04-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

I appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit of the people in the US. They are very industrious and take risk. All the processes and systems of the government, school, and even at home encourage this entrepreneurial spirit.

Life skills are emphasized in early ages and concept of independent living is evident in all walks of life.

The Road Not Taken

2007-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

'The Road Not Taken '
by Robert Frost

Revisting a poem that I shall read again...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

Do you want to be too rich?

2007-03-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Forbes list of Billionaires has always been a thing I hated. It always frightens me to think about that huge wealth amassed by that few 100, when more than a billion people struggle to survive on the purchasing-power equivalent of less than $1 a day.

This year three Indians, for the first time in history was spotted in the top 20. This statistics, is it to be worrisomely written off , or does this need more argument or indeed is it a sign of good things to come? So, where are we folks 'advancing' to?

The $53 billion that Gates, richest man on the planet, keeps for himself is money he could not possibly spend even by buying entire islands; it exceeds the gross domestic product of Costa Rica.

Awesome isn't it? Their money then has no utility as a means of acquisition of more material wealth. So, what gives them happiness? Possibly, giving away money..like the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation does in supporting the cause of healthcare in developing world!. Well, that might not be true, they give away less than 1% of their fortune. In real value it means lots of millions. But aren't we better when we give away 3% annually in charity? So is it really happiness of giving? No it isn't. There is no point thinking either earning money or giving money, as a means of happiness.

Another argument is that this polarization is creating a great economic divide. The inequality is widening, at a rate faster than before. The precise answer to this argument, I found in what Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University mentions. " It's all part of a continuum that says we don't really value all human beings equally at all. The billionaires are just the tip of a very nasty iceberg that we prefer not to look at or think about." He writes " What's a luxurious, frivolous or unnecessary item? Start with bottled water — as long as your tap water is safe to drink — and move up from there."

So, what does the Forbes list of Billionaires mean to us folks. Here it is...it simply indicates that seek any opportunity in your life. And be in control of that in your life.

Russell Roberts, professor of economics at George Mason University writes "The measured level of inequality is, in fact, the result of the choices that millions of us make individually, decisions to go to school or drop out, decisions to marry or divorce, decisions to emigrate to America or stay in one's home country. We should worry less about inequality and more about opportunity."

Big and Bigger

2007-03-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

I learnt here that big is beautiful in the US.

Here, all people appreciate things that are big. The phrases you can associate are- enlarge, huge, bigger, larger, more, acquire. You find this everywhere.

- a cup of coke or coffee is bigger than you have seen anywhere else in the world
- moving to like saying " I moving to a larger place" even if it is a cubicle move in office
- acquiring more companies to grow larger is acceptable way of doing business here
- making huge monies at work and off work is a necessity to keep you alive here
- And you see many many ads on enlarging your ....so on.

Wealth

2007-03-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

The need for human development is to enhance the lives we live. Exploring new frontiers in medicine, technology, arts & media, all enhances the lives we live.

In current times, specific areas that pose great challenge to human development are

- Advances in genomics and bio technology
- Advances in renewable energy development
- Advances in environment & earth sciences
- Advances in business frameworks for open trade
- Advances in Information and communication tools to facilitate all the above.

Companies, consultants & employees working in these areas are the beacon for human development. No wonder then, they are also the ' wealth generators' in the economy. But, be aware that when you work in the above mentioned areas, it is simply not adequate to take your basic objective as just the maximization of personal income or wealth.

We generally have excellent reasons for wanting more income or wealth. This is not because income and wealth are desirable for their own sake, but let them be the general-purpose means for more freedom to lead the kind of lives we have reason to value.

'Imagination' and 'Dreams'

2007-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

Do we know what is at the end of the Bridge? Guess?
And the answer to that is the best a human mind could stretch its imagination..

The ends to imagination, is where a mind begins to Dream....

Dreams live within us. Dreams keep our mind healthy, and when we stop dreaming we are starting to fall from being Human. Did we ever share our dreams as clearly as we could share our imagination ? No! Never!!!. Dreams aren't communicable.

Life teaches every human to dream, from a baby to a grand ma. Dreams are for everyone. It is human Prerogative to dream. For the man sleeping on the pavement and a man sleeping in luxury are connected by dreams.

We, humans are different in our imaginations , but equal in our capacity to dream. Unconciously we are all equal humans for one-thrid of our lifetime.Thats the Power Of Dreams!

Having a Hair Cut

2007-02-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

It was my first weekend in the US and I went to a haircut saloon here. Reluctant as the place was new, but nevertheless need to, as my hair was outgrown. So, went with my friend to a Saloon nearby, awaiting some surprise.

I was not let down, it was a unisex saloon with both men and women..and no separate queue for 'ladies'. All are equal!!!

There were ladies barber, two of them to cut hair, and two to do the manicure and pedicure. The later two were busy fondling their customers' hand and legs!! While the former two gave us a polite smile. What embarrassed me was that there was a huge white mom sitting on a comfortable chair, having her legs waxed; and pedicure while her 10 odd year daughter asking questions on her homework! To the inner side of saloon was a big-fat black woman in her late fifty having her finger nails manicured. Oh boy! I was shy and did not turn my head either side. I pretended to be a well mannered Indian boy..

So the barber who attended me was a 20+ Vietnamese girl moving her electric instrument over my head- left, back , center, forward...she considered it a football field. I left it all to her, as she was doing it in perfection, check on the cuts to the quarter of an inch...well she ran that electric blades for over 15 minutes, and had a satisfied customer smile to her at the end( I gave a blemishing smile!)..and not the least $8 bill.

Coming out of the saloon, I was intriguing to myself, what a global saloon was it..we had a global audience in that place. That’s fine, we live in a shrinking world..but my thoughts were drawn to how did these different people land in this land? The whites, we know were adventurers and they brought with them the black slaves. And we, Indians are 'knowledge workers,. But, how did the Vietnamese, who gave that satisfactory haircut, get into this land of opportunities?

Well...I could fit the puzzle here, they were war victims of the aggression of the sixties. I am told that the conquerors caught a lot of war victims, after the war, and held them in this part of the world. I could see a lot of Vietnamese doing all odd jobs..driving, small shop owners, hair cut saloon etc..and there are well off people too, it a generation that they were here, and all still speak their native language..and English..So, that answered my question of the Vietnamese settlers...so this is a little economy , yet very vast and diverse society.

The economy is tightly controlled and sharpened to improve productivity..this country’s economy is built on the rationale - higher productivity improves the life of its society...as against the asian, arab and oriental way..where the societies are greatly benefited by trading.. Trading was and is the main source of life of the asian and arab people..and this has great influence on the way they think life. Knowledge and Productivity are the tools in this part of the world.

Beginning in a new land

2007-02-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

I am in the US, one of the most developed countries on this planet.

Landing at morning at LAX airport, I finished my routine immigration and customs and was happy to pay a donation of Rs.100 to the lady outside the gate fund raising for helping the children in the developing world.

I tested the BIG-MAC index waiting at the departure gates to take the flight to SFO. It cost me $6 to have a full stomach BIG-MAC. My flight to SFO was at evening and I checked into my hotel late night. The weather was good, and there was a slight shower that night.
No hassles, comfortable travel and great stay to start with, I think.

The Daily 'Routine' Sunset

2007-02-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Did you ever stand by to see if the sun has his routine of setting every day? Doesn't he feel sick and tired of his routine?

Watch closely! Every sunset is unique and never like yesterday!

We complain of our routine every day . We complain the routine kills. Observe the sunset to learn on how every day is different.

The Hidden Market for Babies

2006-02-17T04:28:00.000-08:00

"It is difficult to conceive of a child as commerce," writes Harvard Business School professor Debora L. Spar in her new book, The Baby Business: How Money, Science, and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception. In fact, baby selling is prohibited across the world. But each day infants and children are sold via fertility clinics, sperm banks, women selling their eggs, surrogates, and adoption services.

We don't couch these transactions in terms of profit-making businesses. Orphans aren't sold—they are "matched" to adoptive parents, Spar says. Yet "advances in reproductive medicine have indeed created a market for babies, a market in which parents choose traits, clinics woo clients, and specialized providers earn millions of dollars a year. In this market, moreover, commerce often runs without many rules."

Spar doesn't argue that this market is good or bad, just simply that it exists, and that society needs to understand how it works.

Productivity Means Working Smarter

2006-02-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

Productivity Means Working Smarter, Not Longer

HBS Working Knowledge January 30, 2006
by Stever Robbins

Workers in the United States put in more hours at work and take fewer vacation days than those in most industrialized countries. But the U.S isn't the most productive country in the world. When it comes to full productivity, according to an article in The Economist, France wins, working only forty hours a week with lots of vacation. Conversations with clients and friends suggest we're working hard, but, well, stupidly. We're busy, but our important priorities are falling by the wayside as we work hard when we should be working smart.

Working smart means getting the same results in less time. To do that, you must change how you work. You'll get the most by changing your speed, increasing focus, and organizing to do things in parallel.

Start with your eyes openBefore you read on, I must warn you: Working smart is risky. If you work smart, you'll have more free time. That means more leisure, shorter work hours, or . . . more work. If you use the free time to take on more commitments, you're just as busy as before, but now you are so tightly scheduled that a slip in one project can cascade to many more projects. Happiness happens when productivity enables a higher-quality life, not frantic overachievement.
Right now, we get more productive by working longer. But how about working faster? To work faster, you'll have to get into the zone. In the zone, you're running a marathon. You bring your full focus to one task and build momentum until you're producing results like nobody's business.
Key to entering the zone is eliminating distraction. Your major distractions—let me guess—are e-mail, telephone, visitors, and yourself. One of my clients, a high-tech CEO, blocks out four hours each day for focus time. He closes his door, forwards the phone to voice-mail, and starts working to build up his rhythm. He rarely works the entire four hours, but by having the time blocked out, he's sure to get a couple of hours of solid work under his belt. And without distractions, he can spend time doing big-picture thinking, instead of being pulled into details. After five years, he considers this one of the best habits he's ever developed.

Happiness happens when productivity enables a higher-quality life, not frantic overachievement.
Your biggest distractions will come from you, though. You'll multitask. And sadly, you'll believe you're getting more done as you do. Face reality: People are less productive when multitasking, and that's been shown in many studies over the last few years—check out "Juggling Too Many Tasks Could Make You Stupid" by Sue Shellenbarger in the Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2003. We feel busy, but most of that busy-ness is spent switching from task to task, not making forward progress on any one task.

E-mail is a great way to waste time feeling productive. And we get so much of it, so surely those two hours a day reading and replying is time well spent. But if you spend two hours of an eight-hour workday on e-mail, that's 25 percent of your time. Unless that 25 percent of your time is producing at least 25 percent of your total income, it's a low-value-added activity, no matter how many one-shot, ad hoc contracts you get that way.

The same applies to any activity. The 80/20 rule says that 80 percent of your results come from just 20 percent of your efforts. Companies find most profits come from a few customers. And you'll find most of your output comes from a few of your tasks. So what? Well, look at the math. If you double the time you spend on real-output-producing activities and stop doing the others, you'll double your output and spend 60 percent less time! If you started with a ten-hour workday, you'll get twice as much done, working just four hours.

Say noMy favorite 80/20 principle is saying "no." Most of us take on more than we can handle. Then our companies lay off 30 percent of the work force and expect the same output from the survivors. Our overwork gets compounded by dumb high-level decision making.Once you're concentrating on your high-output work, you can get another boost by streamlining.If you're working at capacity, say "no" to that new client. If someone proposes a project that will fall in 80 percent-work-for-20 percent-results category, just say "no." Face facts, my friend: There's a limit to how much you can do. You can manage that limit and do things well, or you can ignore the limit and do a lousy job on everything. The choice is yours.

Work in parallel, but don't multitask. When you multitask, you do many things at once. Bad idea. But you can find ways to arrange work so many things are happening at once. Good idea. If you are collaborating on a report and writing a marketing plan, you could write the plan and then work on the report. But look closely! Your colleague must review the report. So first draft your report and send it to your colleague. While she's reviewing, you get to work on the marketing plan. Work moves forward on both at the same time.

Have you noticed a pattern? Working faster, identifying your 80/20 opportunities, and using opportunities for parallelism all take thought and planning before you reap the rewards.
So your highest-leverage activity is taking regular time to reexamine and tweak how you work. This year, I'm spending a half-day every two weeks to build a life and business that are productive. And to me, productivity means producing maximum happiness for me, my family, and friends. I entreat you to do the same. Give it a shot. You'll be happier, you'll get more done, and you'll get to see your kids for dinner. And that's what I call working smart

Starting at the begining

2004-05-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

Before you can take an action, you have to have a philosophy and an attitude. It took me 10 years to develop what I consider a philosophy that I can live. Note: You don’t have a philosophy; you live a philosophy.

Attitude takes much longer, only because you work at it every day. Whatever success you are trying to achieve, attitude will be the fulcrum of it. Whatever failure you encounter along the way, attitude will help you emerge from it with the proper frame of mind.

You are familiar with UNDERSTANDING/LEARNING. You know about the People, Processes, Systems, Technologies and Skills required to do your work.

You Begin with MANEUVERING@ work. You publish and be known in your comfortable periodicity. Be outspoken, don’t restrict yourself with few friends/ peers. Keenly understand the Boss’ weakness & fill the space (don’t capitalize!). Push yourself & be demanding. Make your way through a clear thought. Be convincing, persuasive through knowing the intention of the speaker (don’t reason past thoughts & actions). Take initiative; lead to finish. Be empathetic; not sympathetic. Find a mentor- someone who is successful, wise and willing. And lastly, don’t blush; don’t feel guilt at serious talk (old-ies like it, but not the mid-ies)

You Begin with MANEUVERING@ off work. Necessitate networking with workplace peers, school alumni, ex-company alumni, professional peer groups, and independent consultants. In the process know your group members- age, motive, culture (not their background!); never subgroup and move with a few. Don’t stop there by knowing them!. Request for help

You succeed by IMPLEMENTING people networking, achieving interim results, Take credit, Establishing new contacts, Increased target conversion, leading to more business and better stake-holder satisfaction

Part-3: Storyboard CEO

2004-05-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

Here comes a CEO

“
We wanted to grow and be profitable. Effectiveness & accountability should be there in our delivery & business development operations. Carreer advancement opportunities and ability to attract best talent should be inculcated. THE ORAGNIZATION NEEDS TO BE RE-STRUCTURED.”
abridged version

A critical analysis on the present & the way ahead

- You don’t grow by retrofitting (try fitting a Maruti-Zen engine into a Optera !). You may accelerate for the growth, but that would NOT lay foundation for a sustained growth. Why?
o What is needed is to revamp, re-align and resign some, while promote the capable & talented.
o Re-engineering is a dirty word, after all!

- Understand that growth in Japanese market, means fighting the Chinese out on cost. To India based firms, market development & services to Japanese market/clients is a pain. So, you got a niche!
o What is needed to build a cost center out of the Japanese operations? Recruit; develop processes & deliver at low cost to sustain the value addition.
o Cultivate the niche, around the technology competence built. Don’t dilute.

- Get it straight that you draw a blank in the US markets
o Invest heavily on acquiring right talent, if not strategic buy-outs.
o Balance the Japanese revenue & create competition in delivery cum sales set-up with-in the organization.

- There is no culture-shift required
o Do the way you do-however manage & stress on the productivity. Emphasize ‘Performance Pays’
o Accountability & responsibility to be clear along the hierarchy

- There exist a leadership crises
o Stop! We are herds, where is our leader?
o Stop! We need a leader to follow.

- Pvt. Ltd – has its part of sorrows.
o What is the new objective? Growth at the cost of employees, is not to be enjoyed by a selective few
o What is professional attitude? Yes Sir! Yes Sir!

- Kerala- limits to growth -You know it better!

Reintegrating the business/life split

2004-05-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

"My father imposed upon me the greatest discipline: he trusted me." Robert Galvin, Motorola

Experts from James Autry on reintegrating the business/life split

To find a balance between life and work- that's the wrong question. What we should be looking to find is a balance within, not between, life and work. The two ideas are falsely separated, part of the error of dualism.

In the days of the First Wave, people's work and life was inseparable — farming. It was uncommon to hear a farm wife say to her husband, "Honey, we need to talk. Your work is interfering with our relationship." The splitting of business from life is one of the things wrong with our lives. It legitimizes uncivilized behavior at the office so long as one is civilized at home. It is important that we find ways to reintegrate our parts into a single whole.

Business is not just a way of reaping financial rewards; it is also a way to achieve psychological and spiritual goals. It enables us to meet and work with others; to create products and services that are useful to others; and to help others achieve their goals of survival and fulfillment. Create loyalty to a purpose (not to persons, to bosses and managers). Appreciate the idea that all shares the success of an enterprise. Indulge in honest talk with others. In day-to-day affairs, amid all this willingness to be unkind, there is a paradoxical unwillingness to confront the plain truth — in the name of kindness. "It's easy to be honest with compliments, but the other side is not so easy: 'Jim, you are not doing a good job.' ". Trust is the air successful teams and organizations must breathe together. Without the confidence that your colleagues are not out to get you, you can't advance. "If you're looking ahead, there's no time to check your backside."

Our careers cry out to be about something. We need to believe that we are not engaged in a mindless, absurd rat race, that life is not a bitch and then we die. Our quest in life is not happiness but the desire to have it make sense. (Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl). The trick to balancing work and life, says James Autry, is not to avoid biting off more than we can chew; it is to avoid biting off more than we can savor.

Part-2: Learning from Japanese

2004-04-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

Touch perfection in every activity you do
Detail out your thoughts, write little in words, and speak even little. But produce the perfect one, this is what Japanese appreciate.

Old is experienced is now an ado
Young engineers and managers are approachable. But respect to older ones never dies out, both in private & public.

Learn Japanese, as most documentation needs translationThey appreciate this, and don’t think that their jobs would be stolen!

You are rated; so you should not improve punitivelyBeware not to make wrong commitments, revisions and mistakes.Think.Think, before you speak, ask for time before commiting.

Modest Claims
Don’t bite more than what you can chew!. Prove in a small portion/project and then approach for a bigger one.

Small is beautiful
Little organizations are sometimes highly skilled or specialized. Their presence cannot be ignored in the Japanese industry, at any time.

Trust your partner
Every thing starts from trust. Further projects & relations only build or break this. So, make them feel this in your initial knocks, or call/hook one of them

Give a listening ear
Not always hai wakarimas. Let them know when you are not clear and need a detail. They would be ready to respond.

Sporadic behaviors
Sometimes Japanese are very unpredictive, they give a listening nod, but not to convey what they think. Silence, is good , but check the pulse.

Part-2: Storyboard CEO

2004-04-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

My company

My company was a small & cozy nest to its occupants. The company was focused on software systems development projects to Japanese customers, and simultaneously provided a little captive expertise to its US owners. This business mix remained steady from its inception and it was this fertile arena that provided for its competence development & sustenance. My companies’ competence lies in its operations, particularly in its tacit technical -customer-work-employee relation chain. Let me explain-

My company’s technical skills were its assets. These assets lied with its resources, which were keen to learn to get the exposure. Exposure opportunity came with readily by the means of captive operations of US owners, at a low cost. These built expertise and talents to leverage with on operations of external projects to customers. Customers, the Japanese, were very demanding and leveraged the talents to business benefits and thus grew a two-way relationship. Employees benefited on the quality of life both on-job and off-job.

What is so unique?

The uniqueness of the company lay in its culture nurtured and its purpose of existence. One of the conscious motives envisioned by its promoters was to tap the high-literate background & technical competent resource pool that locally existed (in state of kerala, from state R&D centers, engineering colleges & polytechnics). Leveraging this to counter the general opinion that a service-sector based knowledge industry climate can be set-up was the secondary objective.

…As the company stands today

Both the objectives, envisioned by its promoters were accomplished!!!

Part-1: Learning from Japanese

2004-04-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

Create self sustaining processes & mutually depended teams
Independent verification and checks by one another would sustain process. Do not try to manage the process. Allow the teams to interact, manage the results.

Be transparent & factual in communications
It is better to judge your counterpart and in many cases tell your shifts in commitments, with proper reasons. Frequent and detailed communications prove very helpful.

Create Win-Win relationship
Treat your counterpart as your partner. Make him win and feel proud. Victory beckons you!

Plan realistic and keep with the plan
Commitments with clarity are very much appreciated. Open talk, without much homework should be avoided.

Put your heart & thoughts to work for innovative solutions
Slog out! You are considered experts( as most Japanese are !). Prove yourself in early stages, but keep proving!!!

Mistakes/Bugs are to be frowned and ownership taken Critic them; not the owner
Mistakes are natural, but not to be repeated. A mistake should be owned & repented for. And in many cases make a case in point to prove you are right, if it isn’t a mistake, but a genuine misunderstanding

Being a good manager

2004-03-24T00:12:00.000-08:00

Back to basics
Mar 7th 2002
From The Economist print edition

This survey suggests that the core of good management is a set of three old-fashioned virtues that were often forgotten in the bubble years, when anything seemed to go. At a minimum, good managers have to meet the following criteria:
• be honest;
• be frugal;
• be prepared

Being honest, of course, is not just a matter of keeping within the law. Most managers do that, which is why the few who step outside it receive so much attention. For the law-abiding majority, it is a matter of escaping from self-delusion. That requires setting up systems in which rewards are not related to numbers which can be massaged and exaggerated at will.

Above all, it is a matter of being honest about a company's value and its potential. Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the most successful “value creators” in American business over the past 20 years, wrote in one of his celebrated annual letters to shareholders: “We do not want to maximise the price at which Berkshire shares trade...we wish for them to trade in a narrow range centred at [their] intrinsic business value.” Managers need to think about what is their own company's “intrinsic business value”. And so do the investment bankers, analysts, consultants and the rest on the merry-go-round of business hype.

In a similar vein, being frugal is not just a matter of cutting costs in a downturn. It is a question of being sparing with resources at all times, of continually looking for new ways to cut costs, and of creating an atmosphere in which waste and excess are unacceptable, no matter what the market conditions. The extremes to which Wal-Mart's managers take this-such as sharing bedrooms on business trips, and being expected to bring back free pens from conferences-may be counterproductive, to the point of repelling able managers. But the enduring success of many businesses-from Andrew Carnegie's and J.P. Morgan's in the 1900s to Warren Buffett's and Sam Walton's today-have been built on a frugality bordering on stinginess.

Lastly, managers need to return to the idea that it is worth planning for the future. “Chance favours only the prepared mind,” said Louis Pasteur, the 19th-century French chemist. Planning was further undermined by the myths surrounding the so-called “new economy”. Its champions seemed to dismiss planning, saying that business had to think differently not only about today but also about tomorrow. In a world where change was said to take place at the speed of light, and where even mighty Microsoft could have its markets usurped by an unforeseen upstart in less time than it takes to launch a new version of Windows, looking ahead beyond the next dollop of venture capital seemed pointless. Why be prepared, the argument went, when nobody knew what to be prepared for?

Today, many companies-including giants such as Nokia, Hewlett-Packard and EDS-are once again taking strategic planning seriously. Some never abandoned it. At Emerson, a remarkable engineering-based business in America's mid-west (of which more later), planning has always been a top priority. Its chief executive spends 60% of his time meeting heads of divisions to discuss and challenge their plans. In good years and bad, the company is prepared for most eventualities.

Effective Leadership

2004-03-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

In the opening address to the Möbius conference Kim Clark, Dean of Harvard Business School, spoke about leadership with a small "l"-the sort of leadership that is needed in every organization to both serve and inspire our communities, businesses, and lives. "We live in really remarkable times," he said, stressing there remains "a lot of optimism amidst all this turbulence." Below, his advice on first-rate leadership.
1. Integrity. We need leaders with strong values grounded in a commitment to a life that is whole and consistent with the things they believe. They should take personal responsibility for their actions and be honest with others, and with themselves.
2. Energy. Leaders who energize and inspire other people make everyone around them better-not by administering, but by ministering.
3. Inspiration. Trust and confidence are vital, but it is a leader's responsibility to help create a vision of what is possible. They should inspire others to see the greatness that is within them.
4. Wisdom. Leaders need to be teachers. They must see beyond the horizon and understand the principles that underlie success. It is necessary to be a great communicator and teach in deed.
5. Courage. Leaders have to do hard things. They have to have standards and make tough decisions that might make them unpopular, and do the right thing though the wrong thing is easier. Courage is hard, but it can be developed.

Just Enough

2004-03-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

Laura Nash and Howard Stevenson of Harvard Business School

Success comprises
· A set of "desired ends": “happiness (feelings of pleasure or contentment in and about your life),
· Achievement (accomplishments that compare favorably against similar goals others have strived for),
· Significance (a success comprises a set of "desired ends": “happiness (feelings of pleasure or contentment in and about your life), achievement (accomplishments that compare favorably against similar goals others have strived for), significance (a positive impact on people you care about), and legacy (establishing your values or accomplishments in ways that help others find future success) positive impact on people you care about), and
· Legacy (establishing your values or accomplishments in ways that help others find future success)

According to Nash and Stevenson's subjects, not all ends are achieved simultaneously even by those who have managed to achieve this kind of balance in their lives. In fact, it requires the capacity to concentrate on one or more dimensions of success up to the point of "just enough," then shift the emphasis to one or more other dimensions at various points in a lifetime. This kind of success is not achieved through the single-minded pursuit of any one of these things as if the goal were "never enough." In other words, the endless pursuit of any one of these goals may actually diminish one's success, as self-assessed at the end of long career.

Part-1: Storyboard CEO

2004-03-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

This is a 3 part series on my company and its adjustments towards changes in the management structure.

PART-1

Everyday is the same day. The managers want the company to grow. Having withstood the tough times of the business cycle, an overall confidence in the management of management is what keeps the time ticking. Yes, everyone hopes for the future, everyone lives into the future. Ok! Lets take a reality check.

I, Me, Myself

I joined the company in the ranks of middle management two and a half years back. It was then a time of depression in the industry (consequences of 9/11) - operational excellence and prudent management techniques was the order of the day to keep the survival. Every company looked inward to cut corners and painfully realized that the Internet boom was not for real. My company was not into the e-world, but was focused into core-technologies for high-tech products. I joined the company to learn lean & mean operations. And to my luck my companies operations were to a large extent support extended to Japanese companies. Myself was in- charge of supporting the program management & project execution functions.